tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39648032024-03-13T08:53:22.438-06:00KarmatetraMeditations on the Nature of Reality both Real and Virtual; Technological and Neurological. Exploring the Synergetic Union of Science, Geometry, Spirit and Art. This is the Interface where Digital meets Analog; Rationality meets Intuition.Karmatetrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08325628023840212857noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964803.post-14688995158094561642022-08-28T16:08:00.000-06:002022-09-02T07:56:01.808-06:00Vajra Guru Mantra - YouTube video <div dir="ltr"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><h1><b><font face="georgia, serif"><a href="https://youtu.be/yOhW0mdns5E">Vajra Guru Mantra - Padmasambhava - Guru Rinpoche</a></font></b></h1><h3><b><font face="georgia, serif"><a href="https://youtu.be/yOhW0mdns5E">OṂ ĀḤ HŪṂ VAJRA GURU PADMA SIDDHI HŪṂ</a></font></b></h3><div><b><br /></b></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMOee-2RVBA-Zb0nqmplWOOU1csbPVaDiGoz3VqDkuBr-ZL3oPeD1Vc5J3ImqGoCQUtSxNqYhZmPoDAgN0WkLNmnvojKtST9Efi-c0RUE72Rf9rbzvcrD8Tt25SnnKwqxeQtAQKD8Wg9mX4OlHObSXsPnKz6iUsHPsDf9hSC47fKxxjg-MpD8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="226" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7137052582219329282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMOee-2RVBA-Zb0nqmplWOOU1csbPVaDiGoz3VqDkuBr-ZL3oPeD1Vc5J3ImqGoCQUtSxNqYhZmPoDAgN0WkLNmnvojKtST9Efi-c0RUE72Rf9rbzvcrD8Tt25SnnKwqxeQtAQKD8Wg9mX4OlHObSXsPnKz6iUsHPsDf9hSC47fKxxjg-MpD8=w400-h226" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span face="Roboto, Noto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0d0d0d; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I created a YouTube video for my recording of the Vajra Guru Mantra. I made the recording and mixdown using Studio One 5 DAW and a Zoom R16 recorder, interface controller. It is entirely my voice chanting the mantra.
I did all of the recording, audio & video production. I took all of the photos in the video. These are photos of lotus flowers that I grew myself in my backyard pond. It was a lot of fun creating the video, I hope you enjoy it. Perhaps you will want to join the chant and share in the benefits.
</span><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">YouTube link: <a href="https://youtu.be/yOhW0mdns5E">https://youtu.be/yOhW0mdns5E</a></h3><p style="text-align: left;">By Karma Lodro Gyaltsen (Thomas J. Greenbaum) </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Description:</h3><div><p style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex; text-align: left;">The Vajra Guru mantra is the essential mantra of Master Lotus Born, Guru Padmasambhava. It is the life-essence of the deities of the four classes of tantra, the nine vehicles, the 84,000 aspects of the Dharma, and so on. The heart essence of all the Buddhas of the three times, the lamas, deities, ḍākinīs, Dharma protectors, and the like is encompassed by this mantra. Listen well and hold this in your heart. Recite the mantra. Write it. Tell it to sentient beings in the future.</p></div></div><p style="text-align: left;">See more info from the PDF file: <a href="https://www.lotsawahouse.org/tibetan-masters/karma-lingpa/benefits-vajra-guru-mantra">https://www.lotsawahouse.org/tibetan-masters/karma-lingpa/benefits-vajra-guru-mantra</a> "<i>The Benefits of the Vajra Guru Mantra </i><i>And an Explanation of its Syllables, A Treasure Text Revealed by Tulku Karma Lingpa"</i></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Notes on Creating the Video</h3><p style="text-align: left;">This was my first time doing recording and mixdown using Studio One 5 DAW and a Zoom R16 recorder, interface controller. I must tell you that learning the Studio One 5 software is quite a challenge.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Don't underestimate the learning curve and technical requirements of microphone staging, cabling to the Zoom R16 and interfacing with the computer. Fulfilling the requirements of obtaining devices, hardware and software, connecting everything properly without blowing anything up is another challenge. Haha!!</p><p style="text-align: left;">Of course, the same technology and production methods could include live video clips which this video does not. It is basically a slide show, a sequence of high quality lotus photos with text overlaid for better understanding of the audio. </p></div> Karmatetrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08325628023840212857noreply@blogger.com0Albuquerque, NM, USA35.0843859 -106.6504226.7741520638211554 -141.806672 63.394619736178846 -71.494172tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964803.post-47982115667673693772021-05-09T15:11:00.002-06:002021-05-09T15:11:33.418-06:00Emptiness and Illusion - Two Truths - Heart Sutra - Ultimate Reality<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDHydUAE6PYzvn-HwbVncKb4Ro4KkW1UikfLYhAkHvyWPFVMZxsHi-aA1r5UtKMrJzHIVDC6GFUP2Hqf1AnoIQQCnGY5nOzr0PX_ho6R4jKkXbZr9rqDzauo-ziAnaz5853Kd5ZQ/s2048/Prajnyaapaaramitaa_Hridaya_Pel.sogd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1828" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDHydUAE6PYzvn-HwbVncKb4Ro4KkW1UikfLYhAkHvyWPFVMZxsHi-aA1r5UtKMrJzHIVDC6GFUP2Hqf1AnoIQQCnGY5nOzr0PX_ho6R4jKkXbZr9rqDzauo-ziAnaz5853Kd5ZQ/s320/Prajnyaapaaramitaa_Hridaya_Pel.sogd.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;">Sanskrit manuscript of the Heart Sūtra, <br />written in the Siddhaṃ script. <br />Bibliothèque nationale de France</span></td></tr></tbody></table><h2 style="text-align: left;">Mind/Body Dualism</h2><p>This little essay started as a discussion of mind/body dualism with a friend. Out discussion then proceeded with a comparison of materialism and idealism. Then my friend made the following point, after I brought up the illusory nature of reality, </p><blockquote><p>"If you feel that physical reality is an illusion, kick a rock as one materialist has argued. That is unless you think the pain you feel is an illusion. That takes an awful lot of denial."</p></blockquote><h2 style="text-align: left;">Illusory Nature of Reality</h2><p>In my opinion, the concept of "illusion" is not well understood in this example. My understanding is that idealism does not deny perceived reality, it simply states that our sensory inputs are quite different from the realization of an objective reality existing outside of our mind. Of course, when we kick a rock we feel pain; idealism does not deny our pain (or any other perceived or imagined sensory phenomena). </p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Physics Declares No Solid Objects Exist</h2><p>Physics explains that when we kick a rock we feel pain because of the strong electron-electron repulsion force between the rock and our toe. Physics tells us that the rock and our toe (or any perceived "solid" object) are really just clouds of invisible particles held together by powerful electrical forces and that solid objects are mostly empty space. Therefore physics declares that there exists no such thing as a solid object despite our painful toe. The illusion is the apparent perceived solidity of objects. </p><p>With that said, we don't go around saying, "Ouch! The volume of mostly empty space that I perceive as my body just experienced a strong electron-electron repulsion force with the volume of mostly empty space that I perceive as a rock." Practically speaking, we just say "F**k, I just stubbed my toe on a rock!" </p><p>What is an electron really? Have you ever seen an electron? If you have not perceived an electron directly using your senses, does it exist outside of your mind? </p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Do We Live in a Dream?</h2><p>We perceive apparently external objects and have strong feelings in our dreams, but the objects in our dreams are not objectively real; they do not exist outside of our mind. This is why the illusory nature of reality is often likened to a dream.</p><p>Phantom pain is pain that feels like it's coming from a body part that's no longer there. Synesthetes can often “see” music as colors when they hear it, and “taste” textures like “round” or “pointy” when they eat food. The rock that we kicked that caused us pain is mostly empty space. The examples of the illusory nature of the reality perceived by our senses are endless. </p><h2 style="text-align: left;">We only see 0.0035 percent of the Electromagnetic Truth</h2><p>As humans we are in many ways limited by what our senses can directly tell us about the universe, that's why scientists invent instrumentation that extends our senses. The entire rainbow of radiation observable to the human eye only makes up a tiny portion of the electromagnetic spectrum – about 0.0035 percent. We are in this way misled by our visual sense. We feel that what we see is "real" and existing outside of ourselves, however even if you trusted your eyes 100% this is only 0.0035 percent of the electromagnetic truth.</p><p>Expansive knowledge of the universe has been gathered with the invention of powerful instruments used to explore the microcosm and macrocosm. It is the mind that developed and tested the theories upon which these tools were created. It is the mind that engineered and developed these tools. It is the mind that gathered the data from these tools which then found patterns in the data and developed new theories, more sensitive tools, etc., etc.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Flying on Instrument Readings</h2><p>Pilots are taught to fly by their instruments and trust the data from their instruments and not their own senses. I underwent some pilot training in the Air Force Academy and experienced first hand how our senses can be easily fooled. For example, lots of disorienting fun can be had by spinning in a chair LOL. In aviation, a graveyard spiral is a type of dangerous spiral dive entered into accidentally by a pilot who is not trained or not proficient in instrument flight when flying in instrument meteorological conditions. </p><p>Our survival in this highly technological world is dependent upon our ability to cognize data delivered to us by instrumentation and not by our unaided senses. This is another way to understand the illusory nature of perceived reality. Of course, we must perceive the instrument readings through our senses, however it is the mind that must intervene and draw conclusions from the instrument data in order to decide how best to act.</p><p>Science is flying on instrumentation. The enormous amounts of instrument data analyzed on a daily basis by human minds is unimaginable. This instrument data has extended the human neurological system far beyond what can be perceived. Our best knowledge and understanding of conventional truth are conceptual models derived empirically and mathematically by the mind. The mind has elevated our understanding of phenomena and describes with greater and greater accuracy conventional truth. </p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Two Truths - Conventional and Ultimate</h2><p>The ever-evolving mind in this way has developed conceptual models of conventional reality far beyond what we can directly perceive. However, I believe that ultimate truth is beyond what even the mind can understand. </p><p>The Yogacara school of Mahayana Buddhism investigates the workings of the mind, stating that only the mind or the representations we cognize, really exist. In later Buddhist Mahayana thought, which took an idealistic turn, the unmodified mind came to be seen as a pure consciousness, from which everything arises. This is what makes sense to me. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Pure Consciousness</h4><p>My friend often talks about what he calls, "Pure Consciousness," but I'm not certain if his meaning is the same as the Mahayana teaching. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;">The Heart Sutra</h4><p>The famous statement from the Heart Sutra, "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form," is also relevant. The Heart Sutra is a condensed exposé on the Buddhist Mahayana teaching of the Two Truths doctrine (conventional and ultimate truth). The Two Truths doctrine says that ultimately all phenomena are empty of an unchanging essence. This emptiness is a 'characteristic' of all phenomena, and not a transcendent reality, but also "empty" of an essence of its own. </p><p>In the Heart Sutra, Avalokiteśvara (the Buddhist deity of compassion) explains the fundamental emptiness of all phenomena, known as the five aggregates of human existence: form, feeling, volitions, perceptions, and consciousness. This is interpreted according to the Two Truths doctrine as saying that teachings, while accurate descriptions of conventional truth, are mere statements about reality—they are not reality itself—and that they are therefore not applicable to the ultimate truth that is by definition beyond mental understanding.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Perfection of Wisdom Mantra</h4><p>The Heart Sutra, Perfection of Wisdom mantra in Sanskrit is: </p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>gate gate pāragate pārasaṃgate bodhi svāhā</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;">meaning</p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"gone, gone, gone beyond, gone completely beyond, awaken, rejoice"</span></p>Karmatetrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08325628023840212857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964803.post-38082996013880804362021-05-09T14:31:00.003-06:002021-05-09T15:13:01.289-06:00Hans-Peter Wellke uses my Spheriphor<div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAkWSJJE842eXbxi17x50ol6FAnmHZ41ZSPSHCXldXc6Lz7O58A2s3NhyACkfCscIa10qirMQBaSnn8GBi7iyGBekHxYEq7Xhpr0io-6HXzYBVIuk0xMnjvIX83o3aysWI89Edbw/s1600-h/STP81056.JPG"></a> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr0Az_aKKZ2cVjr9TxbtS975BvA5jT2I9G8yUgfpaS9qKDQ4Hu2sC3GkeD5lYg_GL9MNNd0BlxloOfcpRtklQL3q_qzfjKjH8A-KOx1hylbcmzGaRz_iANK1E_DvjZvkinq0ThGg/s1600-h/STP81057.JPG"></a> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoz_OO46SEY4cYbLhyKH91sF9NzHztcqJcPywvOTCC8nDWIkfTMpecP5UQtUlJvYmxXMXLUIMMwbjwbbdaO_tkx-4dJlORuVcj9NGWBPJd5_O3BEtmsB2iRn2X8PpKUTDFvEgP-g/s1600-h/STP81058.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoz_OO46SEY4cYbLhyKH91sF9NzHztcqJcPywvOTCC8nDWIkfTMpecP5UQtUlJvYmxXMXLUIMMwbjwbbdaO_tkx-4dJlORuVcj9NGWBPJd5_O3BEtmsB2iRn2X8PpKUTDFvEgP-g/w268-h400/STP81058.JPG" style="clear: both; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" title="Tom Greenbaum with Rocky, Bucky and the gift of two bells from Hans-Peter Wellke" width="268" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom Greenbaum with Rocky, Bucky and <br />the gift of two bells from Hans-Peter Wellke</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>18.01.2008</div><div><br />Dear Tom,<br /><br />When you asked me to send a token gift about my area for the use of your Spheriphor and your more-pixel-solution, I thought "what for a great idea" and I started immediately to find something very special.<br /><br />I am living in the very south of Germany near the Alps. It is a very green area and next to my house there start the first mountains. Because of quite much rain in the summer and a lot of sun at the same time and lots of steep hills, we do not have any fields, just hills and mountains covered with grass. Munich is about 1 ½ hours drive away. Austria half an hour and Switzerland about 1 ½ hours drive. We are also living near the castle Neuschwanstein (1/2 hour) which you know as a copy standing in Disneyland. In our area there are living more cows then people. When I look out of the window of my office there are cows next to my door and next to my home we can listen to the sound of the bells, all the cows are wearing round their neck to be found everywhere in the mountains when we go hiking in summer. So I decided to send you this special sound of our hills. But when 1 tried the different ding-dongs of the bells to buy, something strange happened: One bell sounded nice, but two sounded exactly like the never ending ding-dong of our area in summer. That's the reason you got two instead of one. The calendar includes photographs which are all made in our area. You can reach each of these places in about 10-40 min drive around my home and my office.<br /><br />Hope you have fun with it.<br /><br />Thank you and best wishes<br />Hans-Peter Wellke<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img align="middle" alt="Posted by Picasa" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" style="-moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; background: none 0% 50% repeat scroll transparent; border: 0px none; padding: 0px;" /></a><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHbdDJ-B9U35kkS3PjPNn8wmrZREjDBMtNV7sZ-bLUyH8qCVVryUGx6-gWnKMJped5Km8I-warDR2LcHMBym9onviP7IIQdDWh_W2cVMZI0ZMkbKclDhgmrXl1kKvK6c_LJCVvA/s1600-h/STP81059.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHbdDJ-B9U35kkS3PjPNn8wmrZREjDBMtNV7sZ-bLUyH8qCVVryUGx6-gWnKMJped5Km8I-warDR2LcHMBym9onviP7IIQdDWh_W2cVMZI0ZMkbKclDhgmrXl1kKvK6c_LJCVvA/w268-h400/STP81059.JPG" style="clear: both; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" title="The letter from Tom Greenbaum with Rocky, Bucky and the gift of two bells from Hans-Peter Wellke" width="268" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The letter from Hans-Peter Wellke</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Q2HqDcve00GLTRGxx1L7MPnxzcUVZOZpNo1GbRRs29XHwcSyWSExErGng-tG858C5f0bu6TWm-5NTlUwtYkZcezOlBbXpGi6-_C3Jgkp5mJ4gVyA2yspWNwUhsXCjp7sDgCm0Q/s800/Spheri-Spiral_49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Q2HqDcve00GLTRGxx1L7MPnxzcUVZOZpNo1GbRRs29XHwcSyWSExErGng-tG858C5f0bu6TWm-5NTlUwtYkZcezOlBbXpGi6-_C3Jgkp5mJ4gVyA2yspWNwUhsXCjp7sDgCm0Q/s320/Spheri-Spiral_49.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spheriphor by Tom Greenbaum<br />Cube Face Center View</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPcVIgUjSt2ogRDD_2-odsSmgFX8KVoX8sWl2PLcODpQjq_L1KUm-gB88q7aMoDzhNE1o5ZhxCoVIVdJYvb8Nd2JA_WlKFXq9kt4m_4B729jeUEEsiEXTXjUjokh7ypMDXDm20wg/s800/Spheri-Spiral_50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPcVIgUjSt2ogRDD_2-odsSmgFX8KVoX8sWl2PLcODpQjq_L1KUm-gB88q7aMoDzhNE1o5ZhxCoVIVdJYvb8Nd2JA_WlKFXq9kt4m_4B729jeUEEsiEXTXjUjokh7ypMDXDm20wg/s320/Spheri-Spiral_50.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spheriphor by Tom Greenbaum<br />Cube Corner View</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZrpalam0rz-mBPWWEZuTgQ9KeFYyeQvToYn6d4Y0kzwTgIOeFUQmsbWLPp3r_BymqEE8rgCmNQUDkVBuQiewQFi2VBBIkl8BCwkUdn2d2csHHbBzB8hTP3EfC9drLIK6XabphGw/s800/Spheri-Spiral_52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZrpalam0rz-mBPWWEZuTgQ9KeFYyeQvToYn6d4Y0kzwTgIOeFUQmsbWLPp3r_BymqEE8rgCmNQUDkVBuQiewQFi2VBBIkl8BCwkUdn2d2csHHbBzB8hTP3EfC9drLIK6XabphGw/s320/Spheri-Spiral_52.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spheriphor by Tom Greenbaum<br />Cube Edge View</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Karmatetrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08325628023840212857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964803.post-26179849532873669092021-05-07T22:54:00.008-06:002021-05-07T22:56:55.452-06:00Empathic Coupling and Kinesthetic Empathy in Dance Movement<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTJRBimlOyh8qYpTBiZQWJekBc1GCNAelH93D4gkNYWFyj9-r3blFVbH1jQlt-tF2GQUQjF6K5FWbRVhaNHhmyb1YkLxjYIzZ5oSOYMSEi7ZrGV4Ol57NMIXCzU66eXkDo0WUGfA/s2048/TGreenbaum_Keshet_Laminar_Flow_Dance-04041.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1031" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTJRBimlOyh8qYpTBiZQWJekBc1GCNAelH93D4gkNYWFyj9-r3blFVbH1jQlt-tF2GQUQjF6K5FWbRVhaNHhmyb1YkLxjYIzZ5oSOYMSEi7ZrGV4Ol57NMIXCzU66eXkDo0WUGfA/w201-h400/TGreenbaum_Keshet_Laminar_Flow_Dance-04041.jpg" width="201" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Laminar Flow" a dance movement by Thomas J. Greenbaum</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p>Following my Encore Fellowship at Keshet Dance and Art Center, I participated in a unique Art/Science collaborative development of a dance movement. The teams vision led us to explore incorporating a citizen science experiment to validate the central ideas of Empathetic Coupling and Kinesthetic Empathy.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">ABSTRACT</h2><p>A creative project in which a diverse group of dancers and scientists investigate opportunities to collaboratively develop a dance movement evoking a common understanding of human discovery.</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Partnership with Sandia National Labs and the Weizmann Institute.</li><li>Explore the synergy between dance and science.</li><li>Commonality as creative human endeavors.</li><li>Relationships between the languages of both science and art.</li></ul><p></p><p><b>Empathic coupling</b>, is coupling dependent on being physically present at a dance performance as opposed to watching a video. </p><p>Spectators of dance experience <b>Kinesthetic Empathy</b> when, even while sitting still, they feel they are participating in the movements they observe, and experience related feelings and ideas. </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>What is kinesthetic empathy? See: <a href="http://www.watchingdance.org/research/kinesthetic_empathy/" target="_blank">Watching Dance: Kinesthetic Empathy</a></li></ul><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">How does Dance through Kinesthetic Empathy AFFECT our experience of Time and INFORM our understanding of the nature of Reality? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Furthermore, if Consciousness is the new Fundamental CONSTANT of Reality, then can Dance convey this concept?"</span></p>Karmatetrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08325628023840212857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964803.post-14154909760436811382021-04-03T00:05:00.524-06:002021-04-08T15:54:33.229-06:00Alchemical Light-Fire Yoga<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF4cdA3ZkAKI8fDQzzPySNZWX3uvNVfv34XD-FJTIRxgqUS8wMwp60EOjoctEn1_trHLZSVfnai8n2kfB0jFtI3nKyxwVcnCE8Ba0CUCgeBAZwJDnPh7s4NFIfqdjXEYKbFxiCAA/s2000/Heart_Center_Circle_Hum_TGreenbaum_Metzner.jpg" style="background-color: clear; clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1759" data-original-width="2000" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF4cdA3ZkAKI8fDQzzPySNZWX3uvNVfv34XD-FJTIRxgqUS8wMwp60EOjoctEn1_trHLZSVfnai8n2kfB0jFtI3nKyxwVcnCE8Ba0CUCgeBAZwJDnPh7s4NFIfqdjXEYKbFxiCAA/w320-h281/Heart_Center_Circle_Hum_TGreenbaum_Metzner.jpg" width="320"></a></div><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i style="background-color: clear;">Heart Center Circle Hum by Thomas J. Greenbaum</i></span></h1><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: clear; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Artwork Description</span></span></h2><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: clear;">My artwork is a mashup of several wisdom teachings, sacred geometry and meditation exercises from a variety of sources including teachings from my blessed gurus.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: clear;">It was my intention to create this artwork as a meditation device in order to begin with focused attention centered on my heart and expand healing, brilliant light outward to All Sentient Beings. In this way I creatively combine Sacred Geometry, Alchemical, Tibetan Buddhist and Zen teachings in one artwork. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: clear;">Heart Center Circle Hum includes a hand-drawn black circle with a fine black dot in the center (ink on rice paper). This simple Circle and Center dot is supported by two Tibetan "Hung" symbols on either side (acrylic paint on mylar). The surrounding frame is art paper and vellum (27"x19"). </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: clear;">Following are my inspirations for this artwork, each one a meditation in itself, together they form a unity of wisdom and skillful means. </span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: clear; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Circle and Zero Point Center - Zen Teaching</span></span></h2><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: clear;">The circle and center point is a simple sacred geometry, but it is highly charged with energy and meaning for me. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: clear;">You are probably familiar with Zen masters drawing a circle with an ink brush in a demonstration of their self-realization, the art form known as Enso.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: clear;">I was a student of Zen Master Philip Kapleau Roshi (Mountain Cloud Zen Center, Santa Fe) in the early 1980's. During the first teaching of Kapleau Roshi that I attended, I witnessed him draw a circle similar to Enso, but he did not use an ink brush, instead he used a black marker on a clearboard! </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: clear;">Kapleau Roshi was a creative thinker and added a black dot in the center of the circle. Enso paintings do not traditionally include a center point dot. Kapleau Roshi taught about two types of consciousness. The dot in the center represents inwardly focused attention. The circle represents expanded awareness of the universe we perceive 'outside' our selves). I will never forget this teaching. This artwork was primarily inspired by my memory of Roshi Kapleau. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Kapleau" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Kapleau</a></span></span></p><h2 style="color: #222222; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: clear; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Tibetan Buddhist Hung - Heart/Mind</span></h2><p style="color: #222222; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: clear; font-family: inherit;">The two Tibetan "Hung" symbols on either side. The meaning of hung (in Sanskrit hum) is Mind visualized at the Heart center of our ethereal body. The artistic form of the two hung symbols informed by Lama Anagarika Govinda <i>Foundations of Tibetan Mysticism</i> (page 189). Rider & Co. American edition 1969. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Foundations-Tibetan-Mysticism-Anagarika-Govinda/dp/0877280649" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.com/Foundations-Tibetan-Mysticism-Anagarika-Govinda/dp/0877280649</a></span></p><h4 style="color: #222222; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;"><blockquote><u style="background-color: clear;">Symbolism of the Seed-Syllable H<span style="font-family: inherit;">ÚM as quintessence of the Five Wisdoms</span></u></blockquote></span></h4><p style="color: #222222; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: clear;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><blockquote><span style="background-color: clear; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The <i>Demchog Tantra</i>, therefore, says that </span>HÚM represents the '<b>mind free from all thought-contents or concepts</b>'. The five parts of which HÚM is composed in its visible form (in Indian as well as Tibetan script) correspond to the five Dhy<span style="font-family: inherit;">ã</span>ni-Buddhas and their Wisdoms. </span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="background-color: clear; font-family: inherit;">The third phase, consists in the return to the human plane, on which all attainments are translated into life and deed. The place of this experience is the <b>human heart</b>, in which the 'Diamond Being', that is <i>Vajrasattva</i>, is realized and becomes an ever-present force in the seed-syllable HÚM.</span></blockquote><p><span style="background-color: clear; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span></span></span></p><a name="more"></a><span style="background-color: clear; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Side note: <i style="font-family: inherit;">Foundations of Tibetan Mysticism</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> was one of my first books introducing me to Tibetan Buddhism. I started reading this book in college. Then following my studies with Kapleau Roshi my spiritual path led me to take refuge in the </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buddhist </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Three Jewels entering formally into the Karma Kagyu Tibetan Buddhist lineage. My Buddhist name, Karma L<span style="font-family: inherit;">ö</span>dro Gyaltsen was given to me by the Venerable Khenpo Kharthar Rinpoche. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khenpo_Karthar_Rinpoche" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khenpo_Karthar_Rinpoche</a></span></span><p></p><p></p><h2 style="color: #222222; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: clear; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span><a name='more'></a></span>Alchemical Light-Fire Yoga</span></h2><p style="color: #222222; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: clear;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Superimposed on the image of my artwork is a meditation that I just recently read. I borrowed the title of this blog post and the following quote from an amazing book. Metzner states succinctly a beautiful meditation exercise that anyone can practice. T</span>his powerful visualization is aided by <span style="font-family: inherit;">the Heart Circle Center sacred geometry. </span>Ralph <span style="font-family: inherit;">Metzner </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Ecology of Consciousness</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> (page 143). New Harbinger Publications, Inc. 2017. </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ecology-Consciousness-Collective-Planetary-Transformation/dp/1626256195" rel="nofollow" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.com/Ecology-Consciousness-Collective-Planetary-Transformation/dp/1626256195</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><div style="color: #222222;"><p style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="background-color: clear; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Initiate the purificatio operation by visualizing or sensing the <br></span><span>light-fire energy sun igniting in your heart center<br>and expanding from there spherically<br>through the chest, torso and surrounding energy field.</span></span></i></b></p></div><h2 style="color: #222222; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: clear; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Divine Center & Periphery</span></h2><p style="color: #222222; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: clear;">Also, recently I started watching streaming media on the Gaia channel. In particular, I have been enjoying many great shows and insightful interviews.</span></p><p style="color: #222222; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: clear; font-family: inherit;">Watched this awesome Gaia video, "Open Minds" season 18 episode 11, Sacred Geometry in Our Lives with Dr. Robert Gilbert. <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://gaia.com/share/ckmximlfe009u0ilaho90b1r1?rfd%3DCx2m4o%26language%255B%255D%3Den&source=gmail&ust=1617514667395000&usg=AFQjCNHalnCO3D8oM1rrPN3w3VwA2SXgHQ" href="https://gaia.com/share/ckmximlfe009u0ilaho90b1r1?rfd=Cx2m4o&language%5B%5D=en" rel="nofollow" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://gaia.com/<wbr>share/<wbr>ckmximlfe009u0ilaho90b1r1?rfd=<wbr>Cx2m4o&language%5B%5D=en</a> </span></p><div style="color: #222222;"><div><p style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex; text-align: left;"><i style="background-color: clear;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></i></p><blockquote><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: clear; font-family: inherit;">Sacred Geometry shows us how the connection between science and spirit become limitless. Dr. Robert Gilbert, director of the Vesica Institute for Holistic Studies, explains that spiritual and vibrational sciences are universal across wisdom traditions.</span></span></i></blockquote><p></p></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: clear; font-family: inherit;">About 31 minutes into the video Dr. Gilbert talks about the Divine Center & Periphery. The sacred geometry is a circle and a point at the center. He describes the idea of zero point centering and the process of expanding awareness from the center of the Heart outward to all All Creation (the periphery of the circle). He also states, </span></p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i style="background-color: clear;">"The Center is the transcendental gateway beyond space and time." </i></span></h3><div style="background-color: clear; font-size: small;"><br></div></div>Karmatetrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08325628023840212857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964803.post-71596575113515906922021-02-07T15:36:00.001-07:002021-02-07T21:32:01.582-07:00Hand to Source Reaching for Contact<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/oxtw9a-hDcY" width="480"></iframe></div><h1 style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-size: 15px; text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;"><u><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hand to Source Reaching for Contact</span></u></b></h1><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A presence of light.</span></span></p></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Free form not bound by structure.</span></span></p></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The desire to connect.</span></span></p></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Fingers, a hand reaching.</span></span></p></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">To reach for, but not to grasp.</span></span></p></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Defined by shadow and light.</span></span></p></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">True connection not felt, only imagined.</span></span></p></div></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: Roboto, Noto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
We observe the play of diffraction patterns portraying the illusive nature of perception:
<ol style="text-align: left;"><li>the source exists as revealed by movement of shadows.</li><li><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: Roboto, Noto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">the shadows exist only as illuminated by the source.
</span></li></ol></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: Roboto, Noto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><a name='more'></a></span>
</span><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: Roboto, Noto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I had fun moving my hand in front of the light source. Kind of like making shadow puppets. </span><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: Roboto, Noto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The slotted spaces between my fingers created a variety of fringed diffraction patterns. </span><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: Roboto, Noto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">In some cases, my hand created lens-like effects resulting in some pretty cool patterns of light. </span><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: Roboto, Noto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">You might even see an eye staring back at you. Don't ask me how this happens, it just does.</span></p></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: Roboto, Noto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
Creatively, I had no real prior intention, I was just messing around. </span><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: Roboto, Noto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I must admit that when I first saw an eye emerge it was a bit shocking to me. </span><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: Roboto, Noto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Personally, I like seeing eyes emerging on their own. Completely unexpected and quite mystical. </span><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: Roboto, Noto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">After some practice moving my hand I was able to create more eyes. </span><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: Roboto, Noto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I really enjoy experimenting with different media when patterns arise spontaneously on their own. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: start;"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: Roboto, Noto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: Roboto, Noto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Best regards,<br /></span><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: Roboto, Noto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tom Greenbaum<br /></span><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: Roboto, Noto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">20210205</span></h3></div></div>Karmatetrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08325628023840212857noreply@blogger.com0Albuquerque, NM, USA35.0843859 -106.6504226.7741520638211554 -141.806672 63.394619736178846 -71.494172tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964803.post-76880918101413452142020-11-04T14:31:00.001-07:002021-02-07T21:29:52.372-07:00Relaxed Awake Tai Chi<div dir="auto"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicLsIQISfFNxKZ2-eQVQ_Qm3h92gTjaFql_GGJdI-K4rO1kNtAa_EDCTOdsgBy1Xh71DxYUqRbBp0jRo7pzj2-3wgvqxoD1afhYH-mf0jWkM4pdYT9jzQrqTGtzVk4ABzMmVO8Kw/s379/LiuSeo2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="379" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicLsIQISfFNxKZ2-eQVQ_Qm3h92gTjaFql_GGJdI-K4rO1kNtAa_EDCTOdsgBy1Xh71DxYUqRbBp0jRo7pzj2-3wgvqxoD1afhYH-mf0jWkM4pdYT9jzQrqTGtzVk4ABzMmVO8Kw/s320/LiuSeo2.jpg" /></a></div><h4 style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Dedicated to Great Grandmaster Willem Reeder (Liu Siong)</span></h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: left;">photo from </span><span style="text-align: left;">http://www.tibetantaichi.com/LiuSeong.htm</span></span><b style="text-align: left;"> </b></div></div><div dir="auto"><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div dir="auto"><b><i>Relaxed Awake</i></b> is a general attitude toward being, however we are discussing an attitude with Tai Chi practice in mind. <div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;"><u><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Relaxed Awake</b><span face="sans-serif"> </span></span></u><br /></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Movement timed to our breath. <br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Counting breaths, measuring time,<br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana;">For each stance, each moment, shifting.<br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Each stance only a temporary milestone,<br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Along a long journey of 108 Long Form kata.<br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Movement happening in a relaxed manner.<br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Not-holding, embracing, stillness, a pause.<br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Not-pushing, feeling volume, allowing space.<br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Not-pulling, connecting, centering inward.<br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Tension and compression always coexist.<br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Balancing tension and compression,<br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Being the synthesis of cohesion.<br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Being fully awake each moment,<br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Is all that is needed to<br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Maintain balance.</span></span></p><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">Physical form ebbs and flows, always cycling. Round and round she goes, where she stops no one knows. </div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">Stance flows into stance and there exists a pause between. That's the wide open door right before it closes. Or, the fully closed door right before it opens. The opening at the end of the <b><i>Blue Tube Ojai Portal</i></b>.</div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">The pause right after in-breath and right before out-breath is different yet similar to the pause right after out-breath and right before in-breath. Observe this difference from complete breath to complete breath, multiple times in a row and achieve <b><i>Heightened Awareness</i></b>. </div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">As the kata progresses through 108 stances, it is joined by relaxation and awareness. The intrinsic nature of breathing overrides willfulness. The breath slows down on it's own. The mind settles and movement tends to <b><i>Stillness</i></b>.</div><div dir="auto"><span face="sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto"><span face="sans-serif">Breath is the ever-cycling junction between self and other -- between our individual mind/body/spirit and the greater <b><i>Universe Of All Existence</i></b>. </span></div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">By itself, the kata slows down always, never done slowing down (Hexagram 64). Observant consciousness (different from controling consciousness) relaxes control, but at the same time becomes more awake. <b><i>Relaxed Awake Tai Chi</i></b>.</div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">The system which slows down informs a self-governing process. If the observer/performer is successful in <b><i>Turning The Light Around</i></b>, then powerful life-energy pours forth from the <b><i>Fountain Of Youth</i></b>. </div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">In other words, the physical body has an innate ability to slow itself down when our mental complex releases control and observes our inner processes with continuous, un-interrupted attention. The observed lengthening of intervals influences conscious processes in general. Stillness increases for all processes at the root. Profound stillness opens etheric channels of communication with the <b><i>Essence Of Life</i></b>.</div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">Ultimately the kata performs as a self-governing feedback loop resulting in an increased flow of life-energy accompanied by bliss, peaceful mind and healthy body. <b><i>Relaxed Awake Tai Chi</i></b>. </div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">Karma Lodro Gyaltsen</div><div dir="auto">Tom Greenbaum</div><div dir="auto">20201104</div><div dir="auto"><br /></div></div> Karmatetrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08325628023840212857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964803.post-70884223008056152682020-07-21T17:18:00.001-06:002021-02-07T21:17:26.030-07:00Tree of Life by Tom Greenbaum a New Media Artwork (work-in-progress) Jul...<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xLpKK9RHbHQ" width="480"></iframe>Karmatetrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08325628023840212857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964803.post-31104638936245493692015-02-28T22:37:00.001-07:002015-03-03T12:45:08.524-07:00Leonard Nimoy, the Vulcan Salute, Jewish Priestly Blessing and Shefa Tal<div dir="ltr">
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<span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">I was sad to hear that Leonard Nimoy died. Although he wrestled with the fact that people saw him only as Spock, I believe that it was Nimoy's vital human spirit that was shining through and illuminated the character of Spock. This is why I discovered a childhood hero in Spock.</span></div>
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Do you know the origin of the Vulcan salute invented by Leonard Nimoy? Consider first that he was born in the West End of Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Yiddish-speaking Orthodox Jewish immigrants from Iziaslav, Soviet Union (now Ukraine).</div>
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Nimoy witnessed the <b>Priestly Blessing</b>, Birkat Kohanim (Raising of the Hands) when he was a young boy. At the time Nimoy did fully understand what he saw, but the hand gestures (Shefa Tal) used during the blessing stuck in his memory. It is the Shefa Tal that he remembered years later when he came up with the idea for a Vulcan salute. </div>
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I first came across the Priestly Blessing and the Shefa Tal years ago in my research on Kabbalah, the Tetragrammaton and Shekinah.</div>
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Look closely at the drawing of the Shefa Tal below. Do you see the four letters written across the wrists of the two hands? Do you recognize these four letters as the Tetragrammaton?</div>
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<b>Leonard Nimoy on the Jewish Story Behind the Vulcan Salute:</b></div>
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<a href="http://jewcy.com/jewish-arts-and-culture/leonard-nimoy-vulcan-salute-yiddish" target="_blank">http://jewcy.com/jewish-arts-and-culture/leonard-nimoy-vulcan-salute-yiddish</a> </div>
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<b>YouTube Video Interview of Nimoy (in only 5 min. Nimoy tells the entire story):</b></div>
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Live Long and Prosper: The Jewish Story Behind Spock, Leonard Nimoy's Star Trek Character</div>
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Priestly Blessing, Birkat Kohanim, Raising of the Hands: Shefa Tal</div>
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<b>Wiki article Priestly Blessing (excellent general information):</b></div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priestly_Blessing" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priestly_Blessing</a></div>
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<b>Wiki article Vulcan Salute:</b></div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulcan_salute" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulcan_salute</a> </div>
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In his autobiography I Am Not Spock, Nimoy wrote that he based it on the Priestly Blessing performed by Jewish Kohanim with both hands, thumb to thumb in this same position, representing the Hebrew letter Shin (ש), which has three upward strokes similar to the position of the thumb and fingers in the salute. The letter Shin here stands for El Shaddai, meaning "Almighty (God)", as well as for Shekinah and Shalom. Nimoy wrote that when he was a child, his grandfather took him to an Orthodox synagogue, where he saw the blessing performed and was impressed by it.</blockquote>
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The symbol became so well-known that in June 2014 it was added to version 7 of the Unicode standard as U+1F596 (<i>raised hand with part between middle and ring fingers)</i>, and the White House referenced it directly in its statement on Leonard Nimoy's death, calling it "the universal sign for 'Live long and prosper.'" NASA astronaut Terry W. Virts posted the salute without commentary on his Twitter feed from the International Space Station with the Earth as the background. </blockquote>
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<b>Washington Post article <i>The touching tribute to Leonard Nimoy from space</i>:</b></div>
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On Saturday, American astronaut Terry Virts tweeted this photo while aboard the International Space Station:</blockquote>
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The simple Vulcan salute, flashed back at earth from so many miles away, speaks to the impact that Nimoy and "Star Trek" had on American space exploration.</blockquote>
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"Leonard Nimoy was an inspiration to multiple generations of engineers, scientists, astronauts, and other space explorers," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a statement. "As Mr. Spock, he made science and technology important to the story, while never failing to show, by example, that it is the people around us who matter most. NASA was fortunate to have him as a friend and a colleague."</blockquote>
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Rest In Peace Leonard Nimoy</div>
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Karmatetrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08325628023840212857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964803.post-72979182288576160372014-04-29T21:44:00.001-06:002014-04-29T21:56:30.400-06:00Newly Hatched Praying Mantis - Teaching Patience<div dir="ltr">
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<span style="color: #404040; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I encountered another Praying Mantis Sunday night (4/27/14). It was a newly hatched praying mantis on my front porch stucco wall. Smaller than a dime, this little guy is already on the hunt. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #404040; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">This is the second year in a row that I have found multiple juvenile Praying Mantis on my front porch. They grab moths attracted to my porch light. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #404040; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">He was a challenge to photograph, even at this young age he was very much aware of his environment and the possible threat that I represented. He dodged my macro camera lens for awhile. I lost him several times. Eventually, he settled down and I got this close-up shot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #404040; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><b>FUN FACT:</b> u</span><span style="color: #404040; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">nlike most of other insects, <b style="background-color: #fff2cc;">mantises have stereoscopic vision</b> (the ability to perceive the world in three dimensions). See more at: </span><span style="color: #404040;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/25/praying-mantis-3d-glasses/">Praying mantises get extra-tiny 3D glasses to test their vision</a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Lastly, I believe that it is of symbolic importance when we encounter certain animals. A friend of mine gave me a reading regarding the Praying Mantis. She was very accurate and the reading was very helpful to me. Essentially, the reading was very similar to the following web page excerpt:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Praying Mantis Meanings in the Realms of Animal Symbolism</span></span></h4>
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<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><i>Excerpt from:</i> <a href="http://www.whats-your-sign.com/animal-symbolism-mantis.html">http://www.whats-your-sign.com/animal-symbolism-mantis.html</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">The mantis comes to us when we need peace, quiet and calm in our lives. Usually the mantis makes an appearance when we've flooded our lives with so much business, activity, or chaos that we can no longer hear the still small voice within us because of the external din we've created.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">After observing this creature for any length of time you can see why <b style="background-color: #fff2cc;">the symbolism of the praying mantis deals with stillness and patience</b>. The mantis takes her time, and lives her life at her own silent pace.</span></span></div>
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Karmatetrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08325628023840212857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964803.post-22150384112871709322014-04-25T22:19:00.001-06:002014-04-25T22:27:35.102-06:00A Question Of Ego: Who Am I If Not Ego?<div dir="ltr">
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If the Ego's greatest act of deception is to get oneself to believe that the Ego is who we are, then who are we?<br />
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Good question. It is a matter of perspective. Ego is the mistaken perspective that we are an independently existing, singular self. We actually are a collection of experiences loosely tied together. All these experiences depend on a large number of causes and conditions. In truth, the ego is an illusion; there is no singular, separately existing, independent self.</div>
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Following is an image of the Buddhist deity Manjushri. Manjushri has the ability to see the nature of reality as it is. Manjushri is seen holding the<b><span style="color: #990000;"> flaming sword of Discriminating Wisdom</span></b> with his right hand and a book called Prajñāpāramitā with his left hand. Prajñāpāramitā in Buddhism, means "the Perfection of (Transcendent) Wisdom." The word Prajñāpāramitā combines the Sanskrit words prajñā ("wisdom") with pāramitā ("perfection"). The Prajñāpāramitā sūtras suggest that all things including oneself, appear as thoughtforms (conceptual constructs).</div>
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Our stream of consciousness is composed of five senses, feelings/emotions, and higher intellect/reasoning. What we perceive becomes the reality of ego and ego is at the center of all this experience. One moment we are focused on listening to music, the next moment we feel a chill, the next moment is lost in a memory, the next moment the cat catches our eye, etc. From this stream of discontinuous experiences that involve various different perceptions and mental events we deduce that an ego or self exists. We feel that a separately existing self resides at the center of these perceptual/mental events. </div>
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We experience the illusion of "self-awareness" in the midst of a seemingly objectively existing external world. We feel as if we are separate from others and an entire universe of separately existing objects, as small as atoms and as large as galaxies. The truth is that all things are temporary and inter-dependently existing. No-thing exists separate from any other thing. There is no external, objective reality. There are no separate, independently existing "selves" at all. There are no separately existing things at all. </div>
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CAUTION: this is not the same as nihilism. This is not a negation of existence. This is a reinterpretation of our knowledge gained through experience. We are simply arriving at a greater truth derived from higher order reasoning. </div>
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The truth is that existence is a collection of experiences tied loosely together. Reality is consciousness only. The mystery of the nature of human consciousness is revealed through meditation on the temporary nature of all things and the truth of selflessness. The Buddhists call this sunyata or emptiness. That is, experience is in actuality empty of separate, independently existing things and consciousness is empty of a self. </div>
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No self is required to explain phenomena. Occam's Razor states that among competing hypotheses, the hypothesis with the fewest assumptions should be selected. The assumption of the existence of a self is unnecessary and should be discarded due to succinct reasoning.</div>
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We go through life in a fairly successful manner and make okay decisions even while under the false assumption based on the existence of an ego. We go through challenges, illness, periods of doubt, depression, pain and even mental anguish. Eventually we get to the end of our life and wonder what it was all about. Of course, waiting until we die to face the meaning of life is not the best strategy. Having to face death while clinging to an ego results in fear and mental anguish is not a good way to go.</div>
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If we are blessed with curiosity, a sense of wonder, or a sharp intellect, then we may explore alternative explanations for life's experiences even before we are faced with illness, pain and death. During moments of introspection and philosophical query we question the nature of what we are. The person seeking answers to life's mysteries may find that we exist on a wholly different level of reality than what is commonly held as actual reality.</div>
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To seek truth and meaning while facing the challenges of mundane existence is a spiritual warrior's path. It is a very difficult path, but it ultimately yields the greatest rewards. The spiritual warrior focuses the mind inward and sharpens their mental focus and inner calm. The spiritual warrior wields the <b><span style="color: #990000;">flaming sword of Discriminating Wisdom</span></b> to cut down falsely held beliefs, dispel the illusion of ego and clear a path to greater happiness and peace of mind.</div>
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Karmatetrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08325628023840212857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964803.post-58789568573107870632013-12-02T21:24:00.001-07:002013-12-02T21:42:05.240-07:00Consciousness Only / Yogacara / Emptiness<div dir="ltr">
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A lot of what we seek as spiritual explorers can be satisfied with an understanding of the nature of consciousness. I gather that this is why we question the nature of mind and reality. We seek a level of understanding beyond the mundane. For many of us this becomes a thirst and hunger for esoteric knowledge or jnana (as it is known in Sanskrit).</div>
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One of the challenges to realize a deep understanding of the nature of consciousness is to heighten our awareness beyond our senses and beyond our mental and conceptual activity. This is required because reality can be treated as consciousness-only. Reality is perception and mental activity. Once we achieve an awareness not bound by perception and mental activity, we clearly see both the nature of reality and the nature of consciousness. To fully realize this nature we need jnana's perception.</div>
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In Tibetan Buddhism, jnana refers to pure awareness that is free of conceptual encumbrances. The <b><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratnagotravibh%C4%81ga_(text)" style="background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Ratnagotravibhāga (text)">Uttaratantra</a><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px;"> </span>Shastra</i></b> is a profound teaching on Buddha-nature attributed by the Tibetans to Maitreya, the future Buddha. To realize our Buddha-nature is to gain enlightenment and achieve awareness of the true nature of reality, <span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">or </span><b style="background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 19.1875px;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tathat%C4%81" style="background-image: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Tathatā">Tathatā</a></b>.</div>
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<li><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The Uttaratantra; A Treatise on Buddha-Essence</i></b></li>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">by Thrangu Rinpoche<br />Link: <a href="http://amzn.com/1877294292">http://amzn.com/1877294292</a> )</span></span><br />
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From the <b><i>Uttaratantra </i></b>by Maitreya, a treatise on Buddha-Essence -</div>
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<u><b>The Sangha - The Third Vajra Point - </b><b>The Salutation</b></u></div>
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I bow down to those whose mind is no longer obscured,</blockquote>
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the deeply realized who have jnana's perception,</blockquote>
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awareness of the total purity present in limitless beings.</blockquote>
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As the true nature of mind is lucid clarity,</blockquote>
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they see the defilements to be without essence</blockquote>
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and truly realize ultimate no-self -- </blockquote>
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peace within all beings. Thus they know</blockquote>
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the all-pervading presence of perfect Buddhahood</blockquote>
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in each and every one of them.</blockquote>
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This salutation to the enlightened Sangha also reveals what might be called the web-like nature of universal love, "truly realize ultimate no-self peace within all beings." It is wonderful how the text provides a definition of unconditional love.</div>
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I have studied the nature of mind, consciousness, compassion, love and emptiness since I was a teenager. However, my milestone achievement was when I took the empowerment for the <b><i>Progressive Stages of Mediation on Emptiness</i></b> from Khenpo Tsultrum Gyamtso Rinpoche at KTD Monastery in Woodstock, NY. This is in my experience the most profound path of wisdom leading directly to peace, love, happiness and enlightenment.</div>
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<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><b><i>Progressive Stages of Meditation on Emptiness</i></b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">by Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Link: </span><a href="http://amzn.com/1877294012" style="font-size: 13px;" target="_blank">http://amzn.com/1877294012</a><span style="font-size: x-small;">) </span></li>
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In this teaching Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche presents the main schools of Buddhist philosophy with their progressively more subtle and refined views of reality. However, it is not just a teaching on the view but a presentation providing the student the means to realize it through meditation practice. The idea of a series of meditation practices on a particular aspect of the Buddha's teachings is that by beginning with one's first rather coarse commonsense understanding, one progresses through increasingly subtle and more refined stages until one arrives at complete and perfect understanding. Each stage in the process prepares the mind for the next in so far as each step is fully integrated into one's understanding through the meditation process.</div>
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Here is another book that is worthy of investigation, but only for the truly dedicated:</div>
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<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>Three Texts on Consciousness Only<br /> </i></b><span style="font-size: x-small;">by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasubandhu" style="background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Vasubandhu">Vasubandhu</a><br /> (Link: </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://amzn.com/1886439044" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank">http://amzn.com/1886439044</a><span style="font-family: arial;">)</span></span></li>
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The <i>Three Texts on Consciousness Only</i> is a commentary on the Indian Buddhist monk <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasubandhu" style="background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Vasubandhu">Vasubandhu</a>'s <span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px;"><b style="font-style: italic;">Triṃśikā-vijñaptimātratā </b>(Thirty Verses on Consciousness Only) </span>and gives an exposition of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yogacara" style="background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Yogacara">Yogācāra</a><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px;"> (</span>Mind-Only) <span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px;">school of </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mah%C4%81y%C4%81na" style="background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Mahāyāna">Mahāyāna</a><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px;"> Buddhism. The </span><i style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px;">Triṃśikā-vijñaptimātratā</i><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px;"> </span><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px;">was composed in the 4th century CE and became one of the core texts for the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yogacara" style="background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Yogacara">Yogācāra</a><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px;"> </span><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px;">school</span><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px;">.</span></div>
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In <b style="font-style: italic;">Progressive Stages of Meditation on Emptiness </b>Stage 5, Emptiness-Of-Other (Shengtong Approach) is the same as the Yogacara Mind-Only school as explained in <b style="font-style: italic;">Three Texts on Consciousness Only. </b>In this way, a study of both texts take the seeker on a deep dive into the heart of the Buddhist understanding of the nature of consciousness and the nature of reality.</div>
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Please keep in mind that ultimately, it is our attainment of a direct experience of emptiness through the diligent practice of meditation that provides us with jnana's perception. One must put down the books and spend regular intervals of time in meditation to gain progress.</div>
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Here is an excerpt from <b style="font-style: italic;">Three Texts on Consciousness Only,</b> Chapter 1: Demonstration of Consciousness Only.</div>
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... the ultimate reality that is revealed by emptiness (sunyata)</div>
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and absence of self exists, does not exist, both exists and does not</div>
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exist, and neither exists nor does not exist. It demolishes the processes</div>
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of thought and language and is neither the same as dharmas,</div>
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nor different from them, etc. It is the true principle of dharmas,</div>
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hence it is called the "true nature of dharmas." It is called "space"</div>
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because it is free of all impediments. It is called "cessation resulting</div>
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from discrimination" because through the power of discrimination</div>
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it ends various impurities and one understands thoroughly.</div>
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Or, as a result of being revealed by the absence of conditions, it is</div>
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called "cessation resulting from the absence of conditions." Feelings</div>
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of pleasure and pain are removed, so it is called "immovable."</div>
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It is called "cessation of thought and feeling" (samjna-vedita-nirodha)</div>
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because thought and feeling are not active. These five unconditioned</div>
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dharmas are provisionally established on the basis of ultimate reality.</div>
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But "ultimate reality" itself is merely a provisionally granted name.</div>
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To refute the idea that it does not exist, it is said to exist.</div>
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To refute the idea that it does exist, it is said to be empty.</div>
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But it must not be thought to be empty and illusory, so it is</div>
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said to be real. Because this principle is not false or erroneous, it is</div>
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said to be the ultimate nature of everything. It is also called the </div>
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"ultimate nature of everything" because it is not the same as the</div>
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real, eternal dharma called "ultimate nature of everything" apart</div>
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from form, mind, etc., of other schools. Thus none of the above</div>
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unconditioned dharmas really exists.</div>
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Dharmas grasped by non-Buddhist schools and other schools</blockquote>
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of Buddhism do not really exist apart from mind and mental</blockquote>
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activities, because they are grasped in the same way that mind and</blockquote>
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mental activities are grasped by mind itself. The apprehension</blockquote>
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that grasps them does not have them as objects, because it grasps,</blockquote>
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like the apprehension that takes as an object this same intellect.</blockquote>
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Also, because mind and its activities arise in mutual dependence,</blockquote>
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they do not really exist, just as magical illusions do not. In order to</blockquote>
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refute the false attachment to a really existing realm exterior to</blockquote>
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mind and its activities, we teach that there is nothing but</blockquote>
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consciousness (vijñaptimātratā). But if one believes that consciousness</blockquote>
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only really exists, this is no different from attachment to external</blockquote>
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objects, and it remains attachment to dharmas.</blockquote>
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This is one page from this 450 page book. Definitely not light reading, however from this one page you can perhaps obtain a glimpse of jnana's perception of the true nature of reality, <span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px;">dharmatā</span>, suchness, thusness, or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tathat%C4%81" style="background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Tathatā">Tathatā</a>.</div>
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Thusly and Lovingly,</div>
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<a href="http://www.karmatetra.com/">http://www.Karmatetra.com</a> </div>
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Karmatetrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08325628023840212857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964803.post-56044255828639703242013-09-28T22:21:00.001-06:002013-09-28T22:34:39.830-06:00The Black Lotus Tibetan Double-Terminated Smoky Enhydro Quartz Generator Wand<div dir="ltr">
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This is a fun story with magical elements. It is one of my longer blog posts, but I hope you enjoy it.</div>
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I had been feeling the need to get out for a hike in the mountains. So we drove to the Jemez Mountains last Saturday, September 21, 2013. This story starts off with a hike around Battleship Rock chasing purple dragonflys.</div>
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Of course, I took my camera with me. We hiked along the bank of a stream under the cover of a dense pine forest. It seems that everywhere I looked there was a magical visual waiting to be captured. But it was the purple dragonflys that really caught my eye.</div>
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I first caught a twinkle of metallic purple flash in a sunny spot along the bank. Then I saw more purple flashes. I discovered the purple flashes were caused by dragonflys playing around the stream. I pursued them with my macro lens trying to get a close-up photo of these magical beings.</div>
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It took several attempts to get close enough and have the dragonfly not fly away. My macro lens finally succeeded in capturing a dragonfly as it settled down on top of a moss covered rock in the sun.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl6wws2d4sREZbbxacfQEuafnai0uTj8dpBKUK7ujg2DUSMlo0rXeWbSTkOu27bQOk_1ExWzYNpVjGSpVdR6a8Vqw7-4ErfnHbCx9BPlNvaSBHobIqgW1jiqpe9SoY3Fq5Ho7U8w/s1600/DSC01648-1-766358.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5928895118116261682" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl6wws2d4sREZbbxacfQEuafnai0uTj8dpBKUK7ujg2DUSMlo0rXeWbSTkOu27bQOk_1ExWzYNpVjGSpVdR6a8Vqw7-4ErfnHbCx9BPlNvaSBHobIqgW1jiqpe9SoY3Fq5Ho7U8w/s320/DSC01648-1-766358.jpg" /></a></div>
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After the hike we had lunch at the <a href="http://www.losojossaloon.com/" target="_blank">Los Ojos Restaurant & Saloon</a>. Then we strolled through Jemez Springs and visited the shops. One of the shops had a few crystals for sale, but nothing that really excited me. The store owner said that I should talk to John who is selling crystals on the side of the road. </div>
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I found a collection of crystals spread out on some fold-up tables in front of a truck with a camper shell. John came out of his camper, stood behind his crystals and said hello. I told John I was looking for a healing crystal. </div>
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This is where the story gets a little weird. Without looking down at the table his right hand seemed to move of its own accord. John's wandering hand took hold of a crystal before I could finish my sentence. John picked up the crystal and held it like a dear pet. All this time John was looking directly at me.</div>
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Somehow I had the feeling that this crystal had chosen me. It was if the crystal had commanded John's hand to bring it forth. John didn't even seem to notice that he had picked it up. He began to talk about his collection of Tibetan enhydro crystals and his trusted source for the crystals. All the while John was talking about his collection, he was holding this stunning double-terminated smokey quartz crystal.</div>
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John offered to bring out some flats of crystals to show me. I asked him, "What about the crystal in your hand?" John gave me the crystal. As soon as I held the crystal I knew it was perfect for me.</div>
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This photo shows me holding the crystal. You can see the size and shape in my hand. I have not seen another double-terminated quartz that is so perfectly sized and well-balanced. This is completely natural, not polished. I found a stone like this on eBay for $150, but I paid John $25. You may also see a black spherical inclusion just right of the center of the crystal, next to my ring finger.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioYqpcnf0I_S_iGfCmi7Pcs_FS20YvfvjuOaZEWa5qlHEFne60lpwtUXyUuW3tAoSnunzNxv-GBOUgKcPKqx5LYE5nXEb1DaQG0KDDyrLU5k0-F-ap90pqsuOFqywGf0FJ5j656A/s1600/DSC01652-1-769008.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5928895130212446610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioYqpcnf0I_S_iGfCmi7Pcs_FS20YvfvjuOaZEWa5qlHEFne60lpwtUXyUuW3tAoSnunzNxv-GBOUgKcPKqx5LYE5nXEb1DaQG0KDDyrLU5k0-F-ap90pqsuOFqywGf0FJ5j656A/s320/DSC01652-1-769008.jpg" /></a></div>
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This next photo shows a closeup view of the unique, black, spherical inclusion. I do not know what it is composed of, but it is roughly spherical in shape and centered within the body. It is surrounded by a halo of whitish quartz. </div>
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Back home I meditated with the crystal holding it and bathing it in incense to cleanse it. While meditating and peering into the crystal the name <b><i>Black Lotus</i></b> came to me. The black spherical inclusion appeared to me like a <b><i>Black Lotus</i></b> rising up from the murky waters into the clear light, sending out rays of pure white healing light. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSoRH2qVfRXyG5dJ_NF_EkYXsKfLhLV48wqhyphenhyphenClF707_IgXOWI2arnwprOfAtrjmOOdYgswriJRDWiYdrFTNJVFzL3oBHqWNl3rQnrbovqdeIFo45gbKlcetW1mHaV1XE8Vf66Xg/s1600/DSC01654-1-771017.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5928895140365975922" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSoRH2qVfRXyG5dJ_NF_EkYXsKfLhLV48wqhyphenhyphenClF707_IgXOWI2arnwprOfAtrjmOOdYgswriJRDWiYdrFTNJVFzL3oBHqWNl3rQnrbovqdeIFo45gbKlcetW1mHaV1XE8Vf66Xg/s320/DSC01654-1-771017.jpg" /></a></div>
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The term "Black Lotus" was completely unknown to me before this name appeared in my mind during meditation with the crystal. I have never imagined or even read about a Black Lotus prior to this vision. But the name stuck in my mind and I decided that the crystal should be called the Black Lotus.</div>
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<div>
After meditation I did some research to see if a Black Lotus exists elsewhere. It turns out that Black Lotus has several interesting meanings. </div>
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<div>
I grow lotus flowers in a small pond in my backyard so I am quite familiar with many different types of lotus, but I never came across a Black Lotus in any of my readings. After having the vision of a Black Lotus while peering into the crystal, of course I had to Google it. Turns out that the Black Lotus is a very special metaphysical entity.</div>
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<div>
According to Wikipedia, Black lotus may refer to:</div>
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<blockquote style="border: none; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">
<b>People</b></blockquote>
<div style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<ul>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">Black Lotus, a nickname of ISKCON spiritual leader Bhakti Tirtha Swami, and the title of his biography</li>
</ul>
</div>
<blockquote style="border: none; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">
<b>Music</b></blockquote>
<div style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
<ul>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">Black Lotus, a demo album of the Sonic Syndicate</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">Black Lotus Records, an independent record label based in Greece</li>
</ul>
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<b>Fiction</b></blockquote>
<div style="font-size: 13px;">
<div style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
<ul>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">Black lotus, a narcotic flower in the fantasy world of Conan the Barbarian as described in Red Nails</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">Black Lotus, a member of the Marvel Universe group the Femizons</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="background-color: yellow;"><b><span style="color: red;">*</span></b>Black Lotus, the most valuable Magic: The Gathering (MTG) card ever to be released, one of the Power Nine</span></li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">Black Lotus, a Chinese criminal syndicate from the Sherlock episode "The Blind Banker"</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">Black Lotus, a character in Command & Conquer: Generals – Zero Hour</li>
</ul>
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<div style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
<b><span style="color: red;">*</span></b>Curiosity got the best of me and I had to search for <span style="background-color: yellow;">Black Lotus, the most valuable Magic: The Gathering (MTG) card ever to be released</span>. I found it currently for sale on eBay for $100,000 !! See <a href="http://r.ebay.com/3TrOJK" target="_blank">http://r.ebay.com/3TrOJK</a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: times new roman, serif;">MTG MAGIC THE GATHERING BETA BLACK LOTUS BGS 10 > THE HIGHEST GRADED!</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Price: US $100,000.00</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: times new roman, serif;">This Is The Single Highest Graded Black Lotus In Existence ….. The Only BGS-10.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: times new roman, serif;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">It Cannot Be Under-Estimated How Difficult It Is For A Card To Achieve This High Of A Grade. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: times new roman, serif;"><br /> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: times new roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ik5A8YZvyMBy2nWLHcFeuKgjdIOtZMkpvzVqrCi3Gg6SU1sQ4pDDCh8hxQijfLIZLNB7JXloJ4oNKMC2hMWfOZdbh7HVZ32W_bA65u5AmDzmkFkpJ0lgulbiYBPJouJMe9xEWg/s1600/image-773378.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5928895150103364114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ik5A8YZvyMBy2nWLHcFeuKgjdIOtZMkpvzVqrCi3Gg6SU1sQ4pDDCh8hxQijfLIZLNB7JXloJ4oNKMC2hMWfOZdbh7HVZ32W_bA65u5AmDzmkFkpJ0lgulbiYBPJouJMe9xEWg/s320/image-773378.png" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: times new roman, serif;"><br /> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: times new roman, serif;">$100,000 Seem Extravagant? Perhaps, But Perhaps Not.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: times new roman, serif;">Let's Look At Some Of The Top Items For Other Key Collectibles:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: times new roman, serif;">Comics:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: times new roman, serif;">Action Comics #1 - The highest existing copy sold for $2,161,000 !!! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: times new roman, serif;">Amazing Fantasy #15 (1st appearance of Spider-man) a 9.4 sold for $240,000. But, the HIGHEST graded 9.6 just sold for a whopping $1,100,000 !!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: times new roman, serif;">Incredible Hulk #181 (1st Wolverine) 9.8 goes for around $17,000. But, the only 9.9 in existance just sold for $150,000 !!!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: times new roman, serif;">Baseball Cards:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: times new roman, serif;">Honus Wagner Rookie - The Highest Existing Copy Sold For Well Over $1 Million Dollars</span></div>
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<div style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
Okay, that was a big diversion looking into references to Black Lotus and the Black Lotus playing card worth $100,000. However, it does demonstrate the power of a metaphor. A visual metaphor may be so powerful that it can gather importance and gain the attributions of significant wealth in the mundane world. </div>
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<div style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;">
The Black Lotus metaphor has definitely impacted me in extraordinary and unforeseen ways. My intuition tuned into this metaphor and channeled a powerful Black Lotus entity living in this crystal.</div>
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Now more about this wonderful crystal.</div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: medium;"><b>Tibetan Double-Terminated Smoky Enhydro Quartz Generator Wand</b></span></div>
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<blockquote style="border: none; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">
<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Enhydro </span></b>means "water within" and can apply to minerals other than quartz. Other names: Bubble Quartz</blockquote>
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<b><span style="color: #351c75;">Features of my crystal:</span></b></div>
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<div>
This is a Generator Crystal, having six evenly spaced top faces - in both ends. It is naturally terminated all around, meaning that is has not been cut or polished in any way, this is exactly as nature made it.</div>
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<div>
The crystal has some Rainbow Irises. These are different from rainbow veils which were caused by an impact to the crystal and are obvious and easily seen. Rainbow Irises were created when oils or gasses became trapped inside the crystal as it grew, and they are much harder to spot. They often are hidden and need play of light to reveal them, even change in temperatures may cause them to appear or disappear.</div>
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There are several Keys on this crystal (Keys are where other small crystals were attached to this crystal). The rough looking Key is not a damaged area, it simply is a rough surfaced Key, instead of one having smooth walls, like they usually have. The side walls have faint striations (side to side lines), etchings, and steps.</div>
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</blockquote>
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There is a triangular indent on the flat of a broad face. It equidistant from the center of the crystal opposite the Black Lotus. This signifies this is a Recordkeeper Crystal. </blockquote>
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<b><span style="color: #351c75;">The Metaphysical Meanings Of The Features Of This Crystal</span></b></div>
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<div>
<b><u><span style="color: #cc0000;">Quartz</span></u></b>: Quartz is used the world over due to the fact that it one of the most amazing substances on the planet. All peoples have found out that - it works! Quartz is believed to: Bring health, good fortune, and prosperity. Extensive use in meditation and spiritual development. Enhances instincts, imagination, dream perception and telepathy. Balances emotions. Brings love and harmony. Encourages perseverance and patience. Imparts psychic vision and illumination. Aids in concentration, meeting and conquering challenges. Receives, activates, stores, transmits, and amplifies energy. Stimulates thought forms. Attracts like qualities, enables one to receive. Keeps brother and journey safe. Eases melancholy. Provides restful sleep.</div>
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<div>
<b><u><span style="color: #cc0000;">Enhydro crystal</span></u></b>: Helps bring forth the Great Masters. Heightens spiritual awareness. Bestows greater wisdom and abundance. Aids in meditation. Calms nerves. Provides safe astral travel. Restores energy and physical balance. Aids in healing work.</div>
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<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">
<br />
Metaphysical uses for Enhydro Quartz include:</blockquote>
<div>
<ul>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">Bringing an energy of "I know I can" to the user.<br /> </li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">Connecting friends and companions.</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">Allowing one to flow with changes.</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">Increasing a sense of empathy and understanding.<br /> </li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;">Inspiring spiritual receptivity.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<b><u><span style="color: #cc0000;">A Generator Crystal</span></u></b>: has six evenly spaced top faces. Sometimes also called a Merlin Crystal. It is believed to generate, ampligy, store, and transmit energy. Used as a connector between members of a group and a high powered transmitter amongst them.</div>
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<b><u><span style="color: #cc0000;">Key Crystal</span></u></b>: The key is where another crystal was attached to this crystal. It is believed that the Key crystal can be used to unlock the doors to healing. Access hidden information and help answer difficult questions and, solve problems.</div>
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<b><u><span style="color: #cc0000;">Rainbow Crystal</span></u></b>: is believed that Rainbow Crystals create the closest manifestation of Pure White Light that can be witnessed on the Physical Plane. They are used in meditation to escort us into the realm of the Pure White Light.</div>
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<b><u><span style="color: #cc0000;">Recordkeeper Crystal</span></u></b>: has pyramid-shaped or triangular shaped natural formations that are either engraved into or raised on a Crystal's face/s. Often you need to search for the Recordkeepers by looking at the Crystal in a bright light an viewing it from varying angles. It is believed that the Recordkeeper Crystal is one the most Sacred Crystals because it holds the Wisdom and Knowledge of the Universe.This ancient Knowledge is readily made available for a person, who has an open mind and a pure heart, and is properly attuned to a Recordkeeper Crystal. Recordkeepers are believed to contain profound secrets and esoteric knowledge of the Higher Awareness.</div>
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<b><u><span style="color: #cc0000;">Clarity</span></u></b>: The first impression of quality or value of natural crystal is usually judged by the clarity. The clarity ranges from milky white to glass clear that sparkles like a cut diamond. Most crystal is milky white at the base and gradually clears to the tip. The milky white crystal is said to represent the yin or feminine qualities of love, communication, negotiation and receptivity. The clear crystal represents the yang or masculine qualities of power, force, strength and creativity. A crystal with both is believed to promote a balance of the masculine and feminine enegy on both physical and mental levels. Large, water-clear crystal points with smooth sides are quite rare and consequently, more valuable.</div>
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<b><u><span style="color: #cc0000;">Smokey Quartz Crystal</span></u></b>: Brings good luck. Repels Evil Eye. Activates survival instinct. Helps overcome obstacles. Provides better understanding and increased intuition for meeting challenges and responsibilities. Brings confidence, creativity, abundance, and wealth. Encourages joy in living, personal pride, and kindness. Stimulates dream awareness. Attracts astral forces and aids access to astral plane. Promotes clairvoyance. Facilitates mental clarity. Keeps friend safe. Eases depression. Brings relaxation, has mild sedative effect. Smokey quartz has great healing properties.</div>
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</blockquote>
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Karmatetrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08325628023840212857noreply@blogger.com0Jemez Springs, NM 87025, USA35.7686356 -106.6922579999999835.717099600000005 -106.77293899999998 35.8201716 -106.61157699999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964803.post-23529884466052626232013-09-22T20:44:00.001-06:002013-09-28T22:27:57.862-06:00So You Want to Go to Mars<div dir="ltr">
There are a lot of billionaires, major corporations, resources and technologies aligning right now to make Mars colonization possible within our lifetime. The opportunity is becoming real. The risk is still very great, but the rewards are unimaginable. The Martians colonists will be the start of a completely new human society based on sustainable principles. All of the estimates are that significant steps will be made and a human may step foot on Mars in the next 20 years. Now that is exciting!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLxLioIYlbFPbB9uVA8j0kwXsSazSIyFz_bAxeKzrp1jSf9fzrZLflDtctmEPbrJpkZyiNZ15g1Krp4dFErREaoN0YBwmSkySHCjYRuCofCsUy9ynaJBklYP7Iy4BHe7BeCIv71w/s1600/image-780565.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5926643759501316290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLxLioIYlbFPbB9uVA8j0kwXsSazSIyFz_bAxeKzrp1jSf9fzrZLflDtctmEPbrJpkZyiNZ15g1Krp4dFErREaoN0YBwmSkySHCjYRuCofCsUy9ynaJBklYP7Iy4BHe7BeCIv71w/s320/image-780565.png" /></a></div>
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<div>
<b><span style="font-size: medium;">SpaceX</span></b></div>
<div>
SpaceX founder unveils plan to send 80,000 people to Mars</div>
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<blockquote style="border: currentColor; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">
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<div>
Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of the private spaceflight company SpaceX, has announced an ambitious plan to colonize Mars by shuttling 80,000 pioneers to the Red Planet at a cost of $500,000 a trip. The first phase of the program, which is contingent on the development of reusable rocket that can take off and land vertically, would start off modestly with only a handful of explorers leaving Earth at a time. But in short order, the self-sustaining population could grow into something far greater.</div>
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</blockquote>
<blockquote style="border: currentColor; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">
<div>
<ul>
<li>"At Mars, you can start a self-sustaining civilization and grow it into something really big," - Elon Musk<br /> </li>
</ul>
</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote style="border: currentColor; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">
<div>
<div>
The announcement was made by the billionaire Musk to an audience at the Royal Aeronautical Society in London on November 16, 2012. He was there to talk about his business plans and to receive the Society's gold medal for helping to advance the commercial space industry.</div>
</div>
<div>
SpaceX is the world's fastest-growing provider of launch services. With nearly 50 launches on its manifest, representing more than $4 billion in contracts, SpaceX continues to push the boundaries of space technology through its Falcon launch vehicles and Dragon spacecraft.</div>
<div>
At 9:34 a.m. PDT on March 26, 2013, SpaceX's Dragon returned safely from its second official resupply mission to the International Space Station, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean about 200 miles off the coast of southern California. The spacecraft brought back nearly 3,200 lbs of station cargo and packaging, including space station hardware, supplies and scientific samples. Dragon is the only spacecraft capable of returning a payload of this size to Earth.</div>
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<div>
<b>SpaceX founder looking for 'colonists', must love space travel</b>. </div>
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Read more: <a href="http://digitaljournal.com/article/337983#ixzz2ZMsO4oxu" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0066cc;">http://digitaljournal.com/</span><span style="color: #0066cc;">article/337983#ixzz2ZMsO4oxu</span></a></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
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<div>
<span style="color: #0066cc;"><span style="color: #222222;"></span><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #0066cc;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnkl2KynHE2aRRrxsdbh_i_b2oGzu9iN6HclGdujyvnQWtZKzG2IsAE2vwPoP_IY2sdiB1UiZE9z6gkNp0ALLfDjy65tJzzy1II4JF2m0rodFHeKoGtf_54HNfepbGnmSC5K37hQ/s1600/image-783820.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5926643773869298546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnkl2KynHE2aRRrxsdbh_i_b2oGzu9iN6HclGdujyvnQWtZKzG2IsAE2vwPoP_IY2sdiB1UiZE9z6gkNp0ALLfDjy65tJzzy1II4JF2m0rodFHeKoGtf_54HNfepbGnmSC5K37hQ/s320/image-783820.png" /></a></span></div>
<div>
<b></b><br />
<div>
<b><b><span style="font-size: medium;">MARS ONE</span></b></b></div>
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<div>
</div>
<b></b><br />
<div>
<b>The mission, a private venture by the Dutch non-profit organization Mars One, aims to send a crew to the Red Planet in 2022</b></div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>More than 78,000 people want to go to Mars -- forever.</li>
<li>The non-profit group "Mars One" says it is getting flooded with applications to help them set-up a colony on the red planet.</li>
<li>Only four people will actually get to go.</li>
<li>You have to send in a one-minute video if you'd like to be considered.</li>
<li>Take a look at some of the applicants so far at <a href="http://mars-one.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0066cc;">Mars-One.com</span></a>.<br /> </li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCwZUFJwbopugxrsa4kBc0E00xcgKRXIqXu918_fU-YccYc7rDmOokneRvymdG39CXm2L06h_OwzywGGghYgCFzCQ0l1M1ymdK7bXO3h03NrDDMT9gjSnuDTyUVa8oDjGK6DgeOw/s1600/image-786130.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5926643783955441874" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCwZUFJwbopugxrsa4kBc0E00xcgKRXIqXu918_fU-YccYc7rDmOokneRvymdG39CXm2L06h_OwzywGGghYgCFzCQ0l1M1ymdK7bXO3h03NrDDMT9gjSnuDTyUVa8oDjGK6DgeOw/s320/image-786130.png" /></a></div>
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<div>
<b><span style="font-size: medium;">Atlas Shrugged</span> by Ayn Rand</b></div>
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Link: <a href="http://amzn.com/0452011876" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0066cc;">http://amzn.com/</span><span style="color: #0066cc;">0452011876</span></a></div>
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<div>
</div>
<blockquote style="border: currentColor; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">
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<div>
<i>Atlas Shrugged</i> explores a dystopian United States where many of society's most productive citizens refuse to be exploited by increasing taxation and government regulations and disappear, shutting down their vital industries. The disappearances evoke the imagery of what would happen if the mythological Atlas refused to continue to hold up the sky.</div>
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<div>
</div>
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<div>
The theme of Atlas Shrugged, as Rand described it, is "the role of man's mind in existence". The book explores a number of philosophical themes from which Rand would subsequently develop Objectivism. In doing so, it expresses the advocacy of reason, individualism, capitalism, and the failures of governmental coercion.</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote style="border: currentColor; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">
<ul>
<li>My question, "WHAT IF SOCIETY'S MOST PRODUCTIVE CITIZENS LEFT EARTH AND STARTED A COLONY ON MARS?"</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEUzKgHzKetCMtHSThMqRMRs18cg38kH2xNEWYd748cKeKjEGjCSRZbw6CyLvR2c2IVntwK1poyJgam_pg_ulzJax1G1Mo7ouSEzQq9vgmi9AwUmKoZ5NXOHHesjNP5dZYPArWQ/s1600/image-788234.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5926643790435566546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEUzKgHzKetCMtHSThMqRMRs18cg38kH2xNEWYd748cKeKjEGjCSRZbw6CyLvR2c2IVntwK1poyJgam_pg_ulzJax1G1Mo7ouSEzQq9vgmi9AwUmKoZ5NXOHHesjNP5dZYPArWQ/s320/image-788234.png" /></a></div>
<div>
<b><span style="font-size: medium;">Mission to Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration</span> by Buzz Aldrin</b> </div>
<div>
Link: <a href="http://amzn.com/1426210175" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0066cc;">http://amzn.com/1426210175</span></a></div>
<blockquote style="border: currentColor; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">
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Sixty-six years after the Wright Brothers made history at Kitty Hawk, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped onto the surface of the moon. From that pivotal moment on, Aldrin has advocated for continued and expanded space exploration. Now, he argues that 66 years after the Eagle landed at Tranquility Base, Americans should establish a presence on Mars.</div>
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And not just for a single trip or a moment in history. In Mission to Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration, Aldrin calls for systematic investment to establish a cycle of transportation and sustained, permanent settlements on the Red Planet.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6FS_3jG0tgJ1aOxAI5i1mJc9H1-aa0Aq9UBd0O_c6zysBPW_v681IY59tZtFxNwTuPTK31icQqPW7B6MVsf75tcm5HYF3NhOTD_RZly8alY00zHt007OzvB9OZj_w_xsROWOV5A/s1600/image-790231.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5926643800094127922" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6FS_3jG0tgJ1aOxAI5i1mJc9H1-aa0Aq9UBd0O_c6zysBPW_v681IY59tZtFxNwTuPTK31icQqPW7B6MVsf75tcm5HYF3NhOTD_RZly8alY00zHt007OzvB9OZj_w_xsROWOV5A/s320/image-790231.png" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: medium;">PLANETARY RESOURCES</span></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.planetaryresources.com/mission/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0066cc;">http://www.planetaryresources.</span><span style="color: #0066cc;">com/mission/</span></a></div>
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What if the greatest discovery of natural resources didn't take place on Earth?</div>
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There are near-limitless numbers of asteroids and more being discovered every year. More than 1,500 are as easy to reach as the Moon and are in similar orbits as Earth. Asteroids are filled with precious resources, everything from water to platinum. Harnessing valuable minerals from a practically infinite source will provide stability on Earth, increase humanity's prosperity, and help establish and maintain human presence in space. Check out the YouTube video: <a href="http://youtu.be/7fYYPN0BdBw" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0066cc;">http://youtu.be/</span><span style="color: #0066cc;">7fYYPN0BdBw</span></a> </div>
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<i>ONE ASTEROID MAY CONTAIN MORE PLATINUM THAN HAS BEEN MINED IN ALL OF HISTORY.</i></div>
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<i>WATER SOURCED FROM ASTEROIDS WILL GREATLY ENABLE THE LARGE-SCALE EXPLORATION OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.</i></blockquote>
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<b>Peter H. Diamandis, M.D.</b></div>
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Planetary Resources Co-Founder, Co-Chairman</div>
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Dr. Diamandis is an international pioneer in the commercial space arena, having founded and run many of the leading entrepreneurial companies in the sector. He is Chairman and CEO of the X PRIZE Foundation, best known for its $10 million Ansari X PRIZE for private spaceflight. He is also the Executive Chairman of Singularity University based in Silicon Valley.</div>
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Karmatetrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08325628023840212857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964803.post-18670444330342406282013-02-05T06:01:00.000-07:002013-02-05T07:10:21.190-07:00How To Talk To A Stone<div dir="ltr">
Saturday was a beautiful day to go hiking so I put my camera in my backpack and headed to the Petroglyph National Monument not far from my house. The dramatic volcanic landscape offers an abundance of textures for the lens to capture.<br />
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<span style="color: #500050;">Side note: Buddhists often compare the quality of consciousness with texture. For example, the smooth mind of the Bodhisattva is compared to the finest silk. What is the quality of consciousness that I will find among the rough volcanic rock?</span></div>
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I also placed in my backpack a book that I am studying. It is titled "Three Texts On Consciousness Only" by Vasubandhu, an Indian Buddhist scholar monk of the fourth century. <span style="color: #222222;">"Consciousness Only" is a Buddhist school of philosophical thought. It teaches a method to gain enlightenment, freedom and peace. </span></div>
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Walking in this volcanic landscape I contemplate what it must be like to realize the truth of this teaching. </div>
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Can I be present in the moment without being fooled by my own projections of what I believe to be objectively real and external?<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yQduOROYnyc/UQ9EkAWLObI/AAAAAAAAD1Q/X5XrMPm5NoM/s1600/Petroglyph-01381.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yQduOROYnyc/UQ9EkAWLObI/AAAAAAAAD1Q/X5XrMPm5NoM/s320/Petroglyph-01381.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Is the volcanic rock objectively real? Is it as real as my self? Does the stone have a consciousness? If so, does it have a voice that can be heard? </div>
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The natural smoothness of this particular stone seems to hide its true nature. It remains silent to me. Is that because it desires not to interact with me? Or do I choose to ignore the intelligence of this stone and not listen to it? </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AcfEYFfYV7U/UQ9Ej-YFb_I/AAAAAAAAD1M/VXcNn0QF5pA/s1600/Petroglyph-01380.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AcfEYFfYV7U/UQ9Ej-YFb_I/AAAAAAAAD1M/VXcNn0QF5pA/s320/Petroglyph-01380.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I move on down the trail. I meet a different rock that seems more friendly. I sense that this rock does have a story to tell me, so I stop, observe and listen. The stone asks that I slow down my thoughts and listen more closely. I get a glimpse of the stone's deep intelligence. </div>
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I practice patience and slow my thoughts down using meditation on my breath. Now I clearly hear the stone sing a song of its long journey. The song reveals how it came to this place to be here with me. </div>
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As I listen, the stone's story connects me to the warm heart of the Earth, the radiance of the Sun, the openness of the Sky, the strength of the Waters and the vibrant activity of all living creatures. The song refreshes and energizes me.</div>
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Oh look, there are chipmunks playing among the stones.</div>
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Ancient humans long ago have responded to the stone's song in the unique way that humans know how; with tools and symbols. </div>
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Even though I vibrate at a different frequency than the stone, I realize that the stone is not different than my self. The stone and I are interdependent, we are not separate entities. We travel a common path. </div>
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A bird walks quickly across the stone. The stone travels slowly, but no less deliberately.</div>
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The trail of the bird becomes a part of a shared story between human and stone.</div>
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The human carving the stone is sometimes aware that the stone is listening to the human. What a great gift to be able to talk to a stone. </div>
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Or is this carving a deception? Are we really just talking to our self? Is the song of the stone only imagined? </div>
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The act of carving symbols into the stone itself becomes symbolic of the fact that human nature is quite special. </div>
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The tools that humans make and wield, our control over animals and plants, and our ability to create symbols all mark humans as unique, separate and superior to this simple stone. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cxYpwLJScJ8/UQ9EflnibgI/AAAAAAAAD00/q4OTk-YSQxU/s1600/Petroglyph-01378.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cxYpwLJScJ8/UQ9EflnibgI/AAAAAAAAD00/q4OTk-YSQxU/s320/Petroglyph-01378.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Instead of talking with stones humans have turned their attention to the symbols they have carved onto the stone. The symbols themselves have become a source of fascination. Are not the symbols just as real as stone? </div>
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Perhaps the concepts that cross the human mind are even more real than the symbols that cross the stone. </div>
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Humans act as if their ability to conceptualize is more precious than even the rarest stone. </div>
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No longer does the song of the stone bring humans joy. The stones fall silent.</div>
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The stone has become an object separate from the human observer. It exists externally as the representation of a class of mineral resulting from a series of physical processes over time. Humans have replaced the song of the stone with the story that science has written. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iBAZ5xipk1Q/UQ9EbomGlqI/AAAAAAAAD0g/Y4DhGPvZ4A8/s1600/Petroglyph-01376.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iBAZ5xipk1Q/UQ9EbomGlqI/AAAAAAAAD0g/Y4DhGPvZ4A8/s320/Petroglyph-01376.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Humans live, breathe, reproduce, think and create. We mine stones for their raw materials.<br />
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Silicon is the most plentiful element on earth it is found in sand. When wind and water carve patterns in stone they create sand.<br />
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Silicon is used to create computer chips. Humans create crucibles as hot as a volcano to melt silicon into pure ingots. The ingots are sliced thin into silicon wafers. Humans etch (carve) extremely small patterns onto the silicon wafers to create silicon chips. The small patterns of lines and rectangles are carved into the silicon chip using light and chemicals. The silicon chips become the brains of computers, communication devices and cell phones.</div>
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Humans imbed silicon computer chips into just about everything now. Humans call this adding intelligence to a device. In reality, humans have added tiny stones they have carved with light and chemicals to control the device.<br />
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Why is it that humans believe stones are dead and dumb, but when humans add a tiny silicon chip to something, then we call it smart?<br />
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Phones were invented so humans could talk with other humans. Phones were dumb devices. Lately, humans have added silicon chips to phones and they are now called smart phones.<br />
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Humans no longer have the patience to talk to stones. Instead humans love to talk and text on their cell phones. </div>
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The stone still exists. It is just no longer alive to us. Humans define what is dead and what is alive and stones have been deemed rightfully dead.</div>
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The stone fits into a conceptual box that humans use to segregate and categorize all dead things. Humans believe that they are completely separate entities from the stone.</div>
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Humans conceptualize, and with symbols, create complex tools. The computer is one of the most complex tools. The computer is much better at recording thoughts than stone carvings.</div>
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The power of the human mind, mathematics, scientific formulas and computers is very great. Humans have designed an awesome array of tools to extract raw materials from the earth and create machines, cars, computers, smart phones and cities.</div>
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Tools are dead things, but some humans believe that one day the computer will evolve into a living, conscious entitty. If humans can carve the right pattern into a small enough space on a silicon chip, they believe the silicon will gain consciousness.</div>
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Although humans believe that stones are dead and do not have intelligence, some stones are ground, refined and melted to make computer chips. Perhaps humans of the future can breathe life into these computer chips and stones will attain sentience. Then humans can talk to stones at the frequency of vibration they are comfortable with.</div>
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When I meet other humans in the city, sometimes they ask me what I do for a living. I talk, I conceptualize and I write symbols. I record my thoughts on computers and tablets made from silicon chips.<br />
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Sometimes I slow my thoughts down, I practice patience, I vibrate at a higher frequency and then I am able to talk with stones.</div>
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Life in the city can be stressful. Every now and then I take a trip outside of the city to be with nature. I find that it is a good stress reliever to re-connect with nature. </div>
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I recently took a trip to the Petroglyph National Monument to see how primitive people carved records of their thoughts on stones.</div>
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"Consciousness Only" is a Buddhist school of philosophical thought. It teaches a method to gain enlightenment, freedom and peace.<br />
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<a href="http://amzn.com/1886439044" target="_blank">Three Texts On Consciousness Only</a> was written by Vasubandhu, an Indian Buddhist scholar monk of the fourth century. These texts propound the idea that all things believed by the ordinary person to be objective realities outside mind are in truth mere mental constructs. These teachings include the doctrine of emptiness. The texts explain how the cognition of things becomes distorted in humans through the process of conceptualization, false imagination, and discrimination. The texts provide instruction on how to restore the mind to its innate purity and clarity, once more capable of seeing things as they truly are, undistorted by delusion and error.</div>
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With Buddhist teachings I have learned how to talk with stones.</div>
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Karmatetrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08325628023840212857noreply@blogger.com0Petroglyph National Monument, Albuquerque, NM 87120, USA35.1522814 -106.7188803999999935.0484104 -106.88024189999999 35.2561524 -106.55751889999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964803.post-33973475859890856572012-11-18T23:19:00.000-07:002012-11-18T23:19:41.457-07:00Winter Lotus Leaf<div class="fbPhotoCaption">
<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">After an early morning rain shower the sun was just coming out from behind the clouds. I went to the backyard to breath the newly cleansed fresh air. I noticed in my small pond the rain had formed beautiful </span><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">beads on top of the aging lotus leaves. The morning sun was reflected and refracted from the almost perfect globes of water. The surface of the miraculous lotus leaf still is capable of repelling water even in a state of decay.</span></div>
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<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">I took out my camera with a macro lens and photographed the following close-up scenes. Editing the photos revealed highly textured and contrasting miniature landscapes. The glistening and polished rain droplets almost seem to hover above the rough surface of the lotus leaf. The macro lens with high resolution images further reveals a magnfied scene within each tiny rain drop.</span></div>
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<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">Enjoy!</span></div>
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Karmatetrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08325628023840212857noreply@blogger.com0Albuquerque, NM, USA35.0844909 -106.651136734.8767384 -106.96699369999999 35.2922434 -106.3352797tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964803.post-48829410436539895402012-11-14T23:44:00.001-07:002012-11-14T23:48:03.321-07:00Wearing the Sun Mask: Giving and Receiving Meditation<div>
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">A friend recently shared with me difficulties with working in the family business. It felt futile to try to make improvements in order to achieve prosperity. The chaotic family dynamics present a seemingly insurmountable challenge. How is it possible to attain the focus required to rise above the situation? The tendency to fall into negative patterns constantly inhibits the ability to move forward and achieve the dream of prosperity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">The quest for prosperity is fickle even under the best circumstances. Sometimes it appears very possible, other times it seems impossible. Accepting the chaos is not easy. Even after achieving acceptance, learning how to effectively live within the chaos is more difficult still.</span><br />
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This story reminded me of the "Theater of the Absurd", the existentialist plays and poetry. Have you read some of the plays by Eugene Ionesco, Samuel Beckett and Jean-Paul Sartre? The genre embraces tragic (but somehow comical) studies of characters stuck in chaotic life situations; stuck in samsara. The play "No Exit" epitomizes the condition of suffering. </div>
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The satirists do not provide the instruction on how to exit chaos. It is Buddhism that teaches us that the only escape from samsara is enlightenment.</div>
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When we are stuck in chaotic circumstances we feel weighed down by the gravity of our situation. Gravity is all embracing. It is a type of nostalgia for becoming spherical; returning to the womb. But we do not see it as spherical, we perceive it as horizontal. Life is two-dimensional. We are flatlanders and cannot see beyond the horizon.</div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Succumbing to gravity is a condition of cycling, orbiting and localization. We can think of it as being stuck in a pattern of cyclic existence. The Buddhists call this samsara. We feel as if there is movement, and there is, but there is a lot of going around in circles. We cannot escape from the surface.</span></div>
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Escaping gravity is to be radiant and expand beyond the surface of our situation. It is not easy to rise above and escape the pull of flatland thinking. We must look to the heavens. Our intention must be to focus upward and outward from the surface.</div>
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Bucky Fuller said, "Horizontal is to die, vertical is to live."</div>
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Rising above the horizontal gravitation-ally challenged existence requires building up a great deal of potential energy. Like a rocket that requires a tremendous fuel supply to reach escape velocity, we must find a source of energy and fuel ourselves for this great vertical journey. </div>
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So we meditate and gather our strength and store up the fuel in our tanks. We do nothing other than sit and breathe; watching our breath go in and out.</div>
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Meditation is a subversive method of planning our escape. I say "subversive" in a good way. We subvert our tendency to move sideways, scuttling around the surface like a nervous crab. Instead, we connect with the emptiness of our efforts to find prosperity in this flatland, within samsara. Once we realize the truth of this emptiness we can sit perfectly still and put our mind at rest, abandoning our quest for prosperity.</div>
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What, did I say? Abandon our quest for prosperity? This is indeed a subversive thought. However, there is great joy in abandoning prosperity. Through meditation we embrace the simple, profound truth of finding ultimate meaning in the simple act of sitting up straight, breathing in and out. The joy and boundless energy of the cosmos washes over us. We are free of gravity and become a source of radiant energy ourselves. Focused on the single task of breathing in and out we discover an infinite store of radiant energy.</div>
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This is the essence of the meditation practice of "Tonglen", the Tibetan Buddhist practice of "Giving and Receiving". We breath in and receive the suffering of all beings trapped in samsara. We breath out and transmit radiant joy and happiness to all beings with the intent to alleviate their suffering. </div>
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Breath in and feel the gravity of all beings' situation. Use the gravity to pull in all the suffering of all beings into a critical mass in the center of your heart. Like our Sun pulls in all surrounding matter and fuses the very atoms together releasing profound life-giving radiant energy, we convert this mass of suffering into boundless joy and radiate positive energy throughout the surrounding universe.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jGy4p19EGJVdN7UpL2C5WuV3FfKbMLN6VmeP6zWDuP6G5OhhibCekDGQtVrD5N41u4VJaQ7jJg1lHttdMeL9i4KR7uUEIna1GeioNrhXqrcGcI96fvbft4VHEkeSKViEeo3Vkg/s1600/webster02-753963.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5810926917752528994" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4jGy4p19EGJVdN7UpL2C5WuV3FfKbMLN6VmeP6zWDuP6G5OhhibCekDGQtVrD5N41u4VJaQ7jJg1lHttdMeL9i4KR7uUEIna1GeioNrhXqrcGcI96fvbft4VHEkeSKViEeo3Vkg/s320/webster02-753963.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Sun mask sculpture, "Tamanuitera" by James Webster,<br />a Maori multimedia artist working with wood sculpture,<br /> stone, bone, painting and mural creations.<br />He comments that his work is<br />"Art as a passion in life and a journey of discovery."<br /><span style="color: #595959;">Pasted from <</span><a href="http://www.carving.co.nz/webster.php" target="_blank">http://www.carving.co.nz/webster.php</a><span style="color: #595959;">></span></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div>
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We become a living-breathing Sun God. We put on the Sun Mask and shine our light throughout the world. The Sun is the ultimate victor over gravity, using gravity to fuse cold, dark, life-less matter into radiant life-giving energy, the source of fuel for all life in the cosmos. </div>
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Would you like to know how the Sun performs this miracle of giving and receiving? Breath in and breath out, give and receive.</div>
Karmatetrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08325628023840212857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964803.post-30852420430667735942012-10-03T21:09:00.001-06:002012-10-03T21:24:53.087-06:00Spheriphor = Tetrahelix + Triskele + Trimurti + Jewel in the Lotus<div class="gmail_quote">
I created the geometry for the Spheriphor digital art work as an investigation into spherical spirals, but this figure has also led me down deep into multiple levels of insight meditation. If you have been following my blog, you may know that I believe that the root essence of existence is the spiral. I talked about this with my Maori artist collaborator Kura Puke (for I. She also believes spirals to be at the heart of all things.<br />
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Just recently, during a Vipassana meditation session, I had an insight that emerged from contemplation of the tetrahelix (spiral based on the tetrahedron). I visualized the tetrahelix emerging from a set of 3 vectors that propagate through space. These 3 vectors are the primary (active) system of all phenomena. There is a set of 3 complementary vectors that are secondary (reactive), and together with the primary set of 3 vectors, the tetrahedron (minimum system of Universe) is formed (as per Bucky's Synergetics).<br />
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Then, I arrived at an internal visualization of the relationships between the 3 primary vectors. This visualization involved a spiraling propagation through space based on 3 parameters: length, angle and twist. I could see that these 3 parameters were the true 3 dimensions of Universe (as opposed to width, height and depth). I made a mental note to create an mathematical computer generated visualization based on this concept.<br />
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Then all of a sudden the visualization shifted to the Hindu <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trimurti" target="_blank">Trimurti</a>. My mental energy shifted from left hemisphere to right hemisphere; the wonders of the corpus callosum.<br />
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From Wikipedia:</div>
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<span style="font-family: times new roman, serif;">The Trimurti (English: 'three forms') is a concept in Hinduism in which the cosmic functions of </span> <b style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #33ccff;">creation </span></b> <span style="font-family: times new roman, serif;">, </span> <b style="background-color: black; color: red; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">maintenance </b> <span style="font-family: times new roman, serif;">, and </span> <b style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #33cc00;">transformation </span></span></b> <span style="font-family: times new roman, serif;">are personified by the forms of Brahmāthe maintainer or preserver Vishnu the creator and Śhiva the destroyer or transformer. These three deities have been called "the Hindu triad" or the "Great Trinity", often addressed as "Brahma-Vishnu-Maheshwara."</span></div>
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Next came the realization of the equivalence of Hindu and Tibetan Buddhist trinities:</div>
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<ol>
<li>Vishnu = Sunyata</li>
<li>Brahma = Amitabha</li>
<li>Shiva = Chenrezig</li>
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The visualization then shifted again. This time the triad transformed into the Mani; the most beneficial mantra, "Om Mani Padme Hum". I saw the following: </div>
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<ol>
<li>the clear light of <b style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #33ccff;">creation (Om)</span></b> radiating from within </li>
<li>the jewel <b style="background-color: black; color: red; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">maintaining (Mani)</b> all phenomena</li>
<li>sitting on a lotus <b style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #33cc00;">transforming (Padme)</span></span><span style="color: #009900;"> </span></b>all dualistic views</li>
<li>within my human <b><span style="background-color: black; color: yellow;">heart (Hum)</span></b> the most fortunate of all incarnations</li>
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In this meditation I attained the most in-depth understanding of the Mani that I have ever realized.</div>
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The visualization which emerged from my contemplation of the tetrahelix now circled back to my 4 colored, Triskele version of the Spheriphor. The Spheriphor contains both the 3-way symmetry of the Trimurti and the 4-colored aspects of the Mani. The Spheriphor is truly an all-encompassing spherical-metaphor that represents the complete Hindu-Buddhist psycho-cosmology. </div>
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<a href="http://karmatetra.com/ISDE5/spheriphor_study03.htm"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5795285906896386626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg09kx5wPau5_jHCQvYNgjeoMyACy7MnYiv0Z9U5KHPym-mmuyGlXhtEAhoCIE0TrfVcUEyscwZyqzHRCOuR_d0q7vdrmBV9AKeSM58GkVi9bO88IevJ8L8HXmm5QnObPmZUYgoyQ/s320/Tom_Greenbaum_Spheriphor-747307.png" /> </a><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Spheriphor by Tom Greenbaum</span></div>
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You can view my Spheriphor study at <a href="http://karmatetra.com/ISDE5/spheriphor_study03.htm" target="_blank">http://karmatetra.com/ISDE5/spheriphor_study03.htm</a></div>
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Also on the Spheriphor Study 03 page are alternative views of the figure based on a spherical octahedron. The 3 views are based on vertex, face-centered and edge centered perspectives:</div>
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://karmatetra.com/ISDE5/Images/Spheri-Spiral_50.jpg" target="_blank">http://karmatetra.com/ISDE5/Images/Spheri-Spiral_50.jpg</a> My 4 colored Triskele (Celtic triple spiral) version. Do you think that the Celtic mystics were actually peering into the vertex of a spherical octahedron wrapped in spirals like I was? Also, Hans-Peter Welke fell in love with this image and asked me for permission to use it for the cover of his brochure on the "Corporate Identity Development Process" See the attachment for the brochure. Hans-Peter credits me for the image on the last page.</li>
<li><a href="http://karmatetra.com/ISDE5/Images/Spheri-Spiral_52.jpg" target="_blank">http://karmatetra.com/ISDE5/Images/Spheri-Spiral_52.jpg</a></li>
<li><a href="http://karmatetra.com/ISDE5/Images/Spheri-Spiral_49.jpg" target="_blank">http://karmatetra.com/ISDE5/Images/Spheri-Spiral_49.jpg</a></li>
</ul>
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I would love to make this figure out of glass. I have thought of possible ways to make it out of glass, but it would be a major challenge. </div>
Karmatetrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08325628023840212857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964803.post-4132870099559626282012-06-30T10:42:00.001-06:002012-06-30T10:51:52.811-06:00Kumba Kimba the Conga Playing Spirit Guides from Puerto Rico<div class="gmail_quote">
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This story starts off weird and then gets more and more strange. I think you will find it an example of how all things are inter-connected.</div>
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The story starts out when I was a little boy and I had two imaginary friends. I used to play with them a lot and I had names for them. I called them Kumba and Kimba. Ask my Mom she will tell you all about it.</div>
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Jump forward to the present day. I just got back from Sedona, AZ. I had a great time there. It is a very beautiful town nestled in the middle of an incredible array of natural red sandstone formations. Sedona is also famous for being at the center of spiritual energy vortexes. There are many New Age spiritual centers, with psychics, healers, aura readers and spiritualists on almost every corner. Of course, while in Sedona, I had to have a Kirlian photo taken of my aura. </div>
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The psychic, <a href="http://www.aurasbyjamie.com/" target="_blank">Jamie</a> Jones-Hoaglund, who took the aura photo is well known. She has appeared on the TV shows, the <i>Bachelorette </i>and <i>Good Morning America</i>. The aura photo and Jamie's reading was amazing. Jamie totally blew my mind with what she said about me. I won't go into all of the details, but one thing in particular she said has stuck with me. <span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">There are two bright orbs just above and on either side of my head. Jamie said these are spirit guides or angels. It is very special to have one, but to have two is exceptional.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">I had not thought about my imaginary friends Kumba and Kimba in a long time, but it suddenly occurred to me that they might be my two spirit guides! Then I wondered if any one else has a connection to Kumba and Kimba. They might be historical names, or place names, etc.</span></div>
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I just did a Google search for "Kumba Kimba". The search turned up a singular item in which Kumba Kimba is mentioned; it is a song called <i>Kumba Kimba</i> by Sergio "Chino" Ramos, from the Album <i>Kumba Kimba</i>. (Original release date, July 4, 2011 just about one year ago). No where else in all of the internet is Kumba Kimba mentioned together as a phrase.</div>
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Some interesting facts about Chino Ramos:</div>
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<li>Chino Ramos was born in New York City, his parents are from Puerto Rico. I too was born in New York City, my parents live in Puerto Rico for 5 months of the year.</li>
<li>Chino is a percussionist who fell in love with the conga drums at a very young age. I too love the conga drums and have a pair of LP Aspire Sunburst drums (see photo below).</li>
<li>Chino took percussion lessons in New York City. I never have taken lessons, but I would love to one day.</li>
<li>The song "Kumba Kimba" is about a drummer without fame or fortune. I need to find out more about the exact meaning and how Chino uses the phrase in context.</li>
<li>The song is quite successful in Puerto Rico and is a favorite for dancers competing in salsa. I have taken a couple of salsa dance lessons just for fun, I am not any good, but I love to dance.</li>
<li>Chino loves to "talk with his hands, ringing his drums." When I play the drums, it is an emotional release, I try to be in the moment and allow the spirit talk through my hands.</li>
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Some links:</div>
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<ul>
<li>Buy the song from Amazon at: <span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://amzn.com/B005A66FNA" target="_blank">http://amzn.com/B005A66FNA</a> </span></li>
<li>Listen to a high quality upload of the entire song at SoundCloud: <a href="http://soundcloud.com/dj-walter-b-nice/chino-ramos-y-su-orquesta" target="_blank">http://soundcloud.com/dj-walter-b-nice/chino-ramos-y-su-orquesta</a> </li>
<li> Check out Chino Ramos and orchestra perform Kumba Kimba in the music video on YouTube: <a href="http://youtu.be/G8pePVgJaDM" target="_blank">http://youtu.be/G8pePVgJaDM</a> </li>
<li>A bio for Chino Ramos in Spanish (Google will translate to English for you) is available at: <a href="http://www.guay-ciba.com/rincon/kumba/kumba.htm" target="_blank">http://www.guay-ciba.com/rincon/kumba/kumba.htm</a></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Picture of the Kumba Kimba album cover. You can see his influences on the cover (the New York City skyline and the flag of Puerto Rico)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoqRiS2bOnvcrSXzXsZ5_aMrkp97VqSP4YXCL2jlKu0sX6LUFTF9uQyqbl47mH6FxiZCjj2-HjUCRCU3DtN36dya61Cis1n_Ygmio8o6rYlHHdJ_3vAKLqQdxkvaZyifKd0TQug/s1600/LP-Aspire_Sunburst-00213-751165.jpg" style="background-color: white; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5759871342056175554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoqRiS2bOnvcrSXzXsZ5_aMrkp97VqSP4YXCL2jlKu0sX6LUFTF9uQyqbl47mH6FxiZCjj2-HjUCRCU3DtN36dya61Cis1n_Ygmio8o6rYlHHdJ_3vAKLqQdxkvaZyifKd0TQug/s320/LP-Aspire_Sunburst-00213-751165.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Photo of my LP Aspire Sunburst conga drums</span>
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<br />Karmatetrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08325628023840212857noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964803.post-74629961242930814662012-04-18T23:08:00.000-06:002012-04-18T23:13:20.873-06:00A Flake Of Mica and the Golden RhombusWhen we open ourselves to the ways of Nature and meditate on the structure of natural systems, we are sometimes surprised with gifts of beauty and tokens of our mental journey. Here is a photo of un-cut mica crystal I found on the ground during a recent hike in northern New Mexico.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Natural, un-cut mica in the perfect proportions of a golden rhombus.</td></tr>
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Notice in this photo how lines of symmetry within the mica align perfectly with the major and minor axis of the golden rhombus. Readers of this blog may appreciate that my meditations on the proportions of the golden rhombus are extensive. In particular, I have expressed my admiration for this geometric jewel through several kilnformed glass art pieces. You may witness the golden rhombus arrayed in spherical formation as the thirty faces of the rhombic triacontahedron in the photo of my glass art below.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thirty golden rhombus form the faces of the rhombic triacontahedron.</td></tr>
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In northern New Mexico there are many wonderful natural places to explore. Ancient volcanic activity is evident in soothing, mineral rich hot springs. Whenever, I get a chance I love to take advantage of the healing waters, soak away my stress and dissolve my toxic attachments. During a recent trip to the Ojo Caliente hot springs, before immersing myself in the baths, I took a hike in the surrounding hills and was rewarded with the discovery of a perfect golden rhombus mica crystal. How lucky is that?Karmatetrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08325628023840212857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964803.post-30422433141496172862011-12-02T22:35:00.001-07:002012-04-18T23:11:09.786-06:00The Hundred-Character Tablet<div>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">I ran across this beautiful </span>Taoist work from the Tang Dynasty<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> and thought of posting it. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">It is amazing to see the parallels between Taoist and Buddhist philosophies. Would you like to become a Taoist immortal? Or perhaps you would like to take the Bodhisattva Vow and reincarnate in a Buddhist Pure Realm? Choices, choices.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">To nourish the vital energy, keep watch in silence;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">In order to subdue the mind, act with non-action.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">Of movement and stillness, be aware of their origin;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">There is no work to do, much less someone to seek.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">The true and constant must respond to phenomena;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">Responding to phenomena, you must be unconfused.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">When unconfused, the nature will stabilize by itself;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">When the nature stabilizes, energy returns by itself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">When energy returns, the elixir crystallizes by itself;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">Within the pot, the trigrams of kǎn and lí are joined.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">Yīn and yáng arise, alternating over and over again;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">Every transformation comes like a clap of thunder.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">White clouds form and come to assemble at the peak;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">The sweet nectar sprinkles down Mount Sumeru.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">Swallow for yourself this wine of immortality;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">You wander so freely—who is able to know you?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">Sit and listen to the tune played without strings;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">Clearly understand the mechanism of creation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">It comes entirely from these twenty lines;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;">A true ladder going straight to Heaven.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">You may find other beautiful translated texts of ancient China from both Taoist and Buddhist masters at: </span><a href="http://www.lapislazulitexts.com/translations.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.lapislazulitexts.com/translations.html</a> </div>
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</div>Karmatetrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08325628023840212857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964803.post-2996535204225085852011-11-04T21:29:00.001-06:002011-11-04T21:37:37.669-06:00Got Milk<div class="gmail_quote">
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As you may know from my previous blog entries I have the autoimmune disease celiac which is an intolerance to gluten, a protein found in wheat. I am very sensitive to ingesting gluten in any of its myriad forms so I am very careful of what I eat. You know the saying, "You are what you eat."</div>
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You can imagine that with this sensitivity to gluten and the fact that gluten is found in a wide variety of food stuffs, I do a lot of research into the chemical make-up of food. Wikipedia is a great resource for all sorts of information including the chemical make-up of food. Recently I discovered a correlation between gluten and casein. This could explain my problems with dairy foods that I figured out recently.</div>
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Check out this very interesting information that I compiled about a major component of milk, the protein casein:</div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casein" target="_blank">Casein</a></span> (from Latin caseus, "cheese") is the name for a family of related phosphoproteins. These proteins are commonly found in mammalian milk, making up 80% of the proteins in cow milk and between 60% and 65% of the proteins in human milk. Casein has a wide variety of uses, from being a major component of cheese, to use as a food additive, to a binder for safety matches. As a food source, casein supplies amino acids; carbohydrates; and two inorganic elements, calcium and phosphorus.<u></u><u></u></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Casein Protein<br /><a href="http://chemistryismyworld.blogspot.com/2011/07/casein.html">http://chemistryismyworld.blogspot.com/2011/07/casein.html</a></td></tr>
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<u></u> Casein is relatively hydrophobic, making it poorly soluble in water. Special proteases are protein-breaking enzymes needed to break down the milk protein casein.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Uses of Casein</span></b><u></u><u></u></div>
<u></u><span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><u></u>Casein <b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">paint</span></b> is a fast-drying, water-soluble medium used by artists. Casein paint has been used since ancient Egyptian times as a form of tempera paint.<u></u><u></u><br />
<u></u><span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><u></u>Casein-based <b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">glues</span></b> were popular for woodworking, including for aircraft, as late as the de Havilland Mosquito.<u></u><u></u><br />
<u></u><span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><u></u><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">Cheese</span></b> is typically made when milk is acidified and then coagulated by the addition of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rennet" target="_blank">rennet</a>, a proteolytic enzyme typically obtained from the stomachs of calves. The solids are separated and pressed into final form.<u></u><u></u><br />
<u></u><span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><u></u>Some of the earliest <b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">plastics</span></b> were based on casein. In particular, galalith was well-known for use in buttons. Fiber can be made from extruded casein. Lanital, a fabric made from casein fiber products, was particularly popular in Italy during the 1930s.<u></u><u></u><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Potential Negative Impacts of Casein on Health<u></u><u></u></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-size: 12pt;">Gluten-free, casein-free (GFCF) diet</span></b><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b> - Casein has a molecular structure quite similar to that of gluten. Thus, some gluten-free diets are combined with casein-free diets and referred to as a gluten-free, casein-free diet. Casein is often listed as sodium caseinate, calcium caseinate or milk protein. These are often found in energy bars, drinks, and packaged goods. NOTE: Since 1999, the website, <a href="http://www.gfcfdiet.com/" target="_blank">www.GFCFDiet.com</a> has been assisting parents & individuals with information about The "GFCF Diet".<u></u><u></u></div>
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A person may have a true allergy to dairy due to any of the numerous proteins or other substances in dairy. Lactose comes from the gut lining. Anything that disrupts the gut lining (inflammation, yeast, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: yellow;"><b>leaky gut</b></span>, etc) may disrupt the production and release of lactase into the intestines. Then there is no enzyme to break down the lactose sugar properly...and you get an adverse reaction. NOTE: leaky gut results from celiac disease, so this may be another reason to avoid dairy if you have celiac.</div>
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<b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-size: 12pt;">Cancer</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span>- Colin Campbell's The China Study (2005), a book about one of the largest nutritional studies ever conducted, describes a direct correlation between casein administered to rats and the promotion of cancer cell growth when exposed to carcinogens.<u></u><u></u></div>
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<b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: yellow; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-size: 12pt;">Autism</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span>- Casein has been documented to break down to produce the peptide casomorphin, an opioid that appears to act primarily as a histamine releaser.[15] Some research indicates that this casomorphine aggravates the symptoms of autism.[16] A 2006 review of seven studies indicated that, although benefits were seen in all studies from the introduction of elimination diets (e.g., casein-free or gluten-free) in the treatment of autism spectrum disorders<u></u><u></u></div>
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Got Milk?</div>
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</div>Karmatetrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08325628023840212857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964803.post-34114590333340687772011-11-03T21:33:00.002-06:002011-11-03T21:37:47.426-06:00Mother Gaia's Gift<div class="gmail_quote"><i>By SoLeiNah</i></div><div class="gmail_quote"><br />
An Oasis of Satisfaction<br />
<div>Has appeared unexpectedly</div><div>Over the Crest of </div><div>What I thought was just another dune.</div><div>I feel bathed in Completion</div><div>Washed heart and soul</div><div><br />
</div><div>Isn't that funny</div><div>How such significance can</div><div>Sneak up on you?</div><div><br />
</div><div>From something that just seemed</div><div>And Adventure</div><div>A fun Exploration </div><div>Discovery and Delight</div><div>Turned (with no warning)</div><div>into something</div><div>Much Deeper</div><div><br />
</div><div>And I sink into</div><div>A Meditation of </div><div>Awe and Wonder</div><div>At the </div><div>Abundance and </div><div>Generosity of</div><div>Mother Gaia</div><div><br />
</div><div>I asked for my small cup to be filled</div><div>And an Ocean </div><div>Overflowed my cup</div><div>And rearranged</div><div>My shoreline</div><div><br />
</div><div>My world is somehow different now</div><div>There is not enough room in my mind for this</div><div>Only the Heart can hold such Mystery.</div></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A7xxQopB2_A/RvU-yKhaywI/AAAAAAAAAOs/MGsBOovZjcM/s1600/laguna_vista_12acre_14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A7xxQopB2_A/RvU-yKhaywI/AAAAAAAAAOs/MGsBOovZjcM/s320/laguna_vista_12acre_14.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Heron, Chama, New Mexico<br />
By Thomas J. Greenbaum</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Karmatetrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08325628023840212857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964803.post-81666524135061663382011-11-03T21:26:00.003-06:002011-11-03T21:34:25.864-06:00Tenderly Mindful<div class="gmail_quote"><i>By SoLeiNah</i></div><div class="gmail_quote"><br />
</div><div class="gmail_quote">M<span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"> <i>i </i><span style="font-family: 'arial black', sans-serif;">N </span><span style="font-family: 'arial narrow', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">d <b><i>F </i><span style="font-family: 'courier new', monospace;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">u </span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">l </span><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif;"><i>n </i><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: small;">E </span><span style="color: black;"><i>s</i></span></span></span></span></span></b></span></span></span><br />
<div> <span style="color: #996633; font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><i>s</i></span></div><div><br />
</div><div>Oh, Anticipation!</div><div>My twittering friend</div><div>Flitting in and out of </div><div>This time zone</div><div>Scattering twigs </div><div>Dragging feathers</div><div>And leaving trails</div><div>Through the butter.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Come perch a while</div><div>And have a cup of tea with me.</div><div>And let us hold this moment</div><div>Tenderly.</div></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rLq2v2s39u4/TjRMY1KDg6I/AAAAAAAACVo/I5ilSP1VqX0/s1600/1_Lotus_bud_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rLq2v2s39u4/TjRMY1KDg6I/AAAAAAAACVo/I5ilSP1VqX0/s320/1_Lotus_bud_3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Karmatetrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08325628023840212857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3964803.post-81424270195472287262011-10-28T11:58:00.001-06:002011-11-04T21:39:52.925-06:00Store Consciousness, Thirty Verses of Vasubandhu and Triacon<div class="gmail_quote">
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This is a brief talk about Store Consciousness. </div>
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Vasubandhu was the founder of the Yogacara (Mind Only) school of Buddhism. It is Vasubandhu that introduced the concept of Store Consciousness. He was a brilliant logician and philosopher. He was the author of many profound teachings. </div>
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Vasubandhu (image from Wikipedia)</div>
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Vasubandhu was the author of a wonderful, short document which we refer to as <i><b>The Thirty Verses of Vasubandhu</b></i> (Tri sikavijñaptikarika ). A version of this document which is translated by the famous modern-day Vietnamese Buddhist monk <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thich_Nhat_Hanh" target="_blank">Thich Nhat Hanh</a> can be found at: <a href="http://pvom.org/" target="_blank">http://pvom.org/</a> This is the Plum Village Online Monastery website, which is founded by Thich Nhat Hanh. </div>
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I am quite thrilled about finding <i><b>The Thirty Verses of Vasubandhu</b></i> translated by Thich Nhat Hanh online. Turns out that there are very few Buddhist teachings that include the number thirty (30). I know this because I have searched extensively. I performed this search because of my fascination with the Triacon which has thirty (30) faces! Now I can make a Triacon that has each individual verse of the <i><b>The Thirty Verses of Vasubandhu</b></i> inscribed on each face of the Triacon.</div>
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Thirty Transcendent Virtues<br />
by Thomas J. Greenbaum<br />
Fused glass Triacontahedron</div>
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Also, check out the video: <a href="http://vimeo.com/29003349" target="_blank">http://vimeo.com/29003349</a> This is the third Dharma talk offered by Thich Nhat Hanh in the Together We Are One Retreat at Deer Park Monastery on the North American Tour, given on Friday, September 9th, 2011. Thich Nhat Hanh talks about <span style="background-color: yellow;"><b>store consciousness </b>and mind consciousness</span>, and specifically how they relate to the Four Noble Truths: 1) suffering, 2) the making of suffering, 3) it is possible to transform suffering into happiness, 4) the path to happiness. It is a long video, but at about <span style="background-color: #33ffff;"><b>33 minutes</b></span> Thich Nhat Hanh talks specifically about <span style="background-color: yellow;"><b>Store Consciousness</b></span>.</div>
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Here is additional information on Store Consciousness (from Wikipedia):</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><i><b>Eighth consciousness </b></i></span>: "<span style="background-color: yellow; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">store consciousness</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">" (Tibetan: <i>kun-gzhi rnam-shes</i>; Sanskrit: ālāyavijñāna); " The seed consciousness (bi^ja-vijn~a^na); "the consciousness which is the basis of the other seven. The seven prior consciousnesses are based and founded upon the eighth. It is the aggregate which administers and yields rebirth; this idea may in some respects be compared to the usage of the word "citta" in the agamas; see below. In the early texts the sankhara-khandha plays some of the roles ascribed to the store-house consciousness by later Yogacara thinkers.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Store-house consciousness accumulates all potential energy for the aggregate of the 'bodymind' (Sanskrit: <i>namarupa</i>), the mental (<i>nama</i>) and physical (<i>rupa</i>) manifestation of one's existence, and supplies the substance to all existences. It also receives impressions from all functions of the other consciousnesses and retains them as potential energy for their further manifestations and activities. Since it serves as the basis for the production of the other seven consciousnesses (called the "evolving" or "transforming" consciousnesses), it is also known as the <b>base consciousness</b> (<i>mūla-vijñāna</i>) or <b>causal consciousness</b>. Since it serves as </span></div>
<span style="background-color: yellow; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">the container for all experiential impressions (termed metaphorically as <i>bija</i> or "seeds")</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">, it is also called the <b>seed consciousness</b> or <b>container consciousness</b>.</span></div>
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It is my wish that the reader research this topic thoroughly and contemplate these philosophical concepts during meditation. My experience is that great benefits will result.</div>
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<br />Karmatetrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08325628023840212857noreply@blogger.com0