Plum Village - Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh

Plum Village - Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh: "Becoming a Buddha is not difficult because 'Buddha' means
someone who is enlightened, who is capable of loving and forgiving."

God Is Also a Flower

Thich Nhat Hanh Quotes | www.qsangha.org: "'God is Black.
But God is not only Black.
God is also White,
God is also a Flower.
So when a lesbian thinks of
her relationship with God,
if she practices deeply,
she can find out that
God is also Lesbian.
And God is Gay, too.
God is no less.
God is Lesbian,
and also Gay,
Black, White,
a Chrysanthemum.
And when you
discriminate against
Black or White
or Flower or Lesbian,
you discriminate
against God,
which is the basic
Goodness in you.'"

Thich Nhat Hanh Quotes | www.qsangha.org

Thich Nhat Hanh Quotes | www.qsangha.org: "Aware of the suffering brought about when we impose our views on others, we are committed not to force others, even our children, by any means whatsoever"

OBEs and the community consciousness.

God Helmets OBEs Illusions and a Cosmic Presence. - Beliefnet Forums: "the mind stays right where it is in the brain of the stressed individual, and it taps into the collective consciousness in an attempt to find a solution. The collective consciousness may be a shared resource made more available to the stressed person by the empathy of caregivers who may be actively seeking the community consciousness to direct assistance to the stressed individual. This is commonly known as prayer, but we don't want to upset the skeptics by a God word in our explanation."

Don't Stereotype Atheists - Beliefnet Forums

Don't Stereotype Atheists - Beliefnet Forums: "Until science can show how those worshipers feed off of each other using understood communication channels, that is sight, sound, as anything but tuning mechanisms science might as well say it doesn't understand God and the human spirit. Saying either does not exist is faith not science."

Staycation

I like the "Middle of Nowhere in the middle of everything" The Sawyer Camp trail in San Mateo.

Pick a hotel in San Mateo, Half Moon Bay,SSF,even SFO will do, Woodside or wherever, and enjoy the short drive through the most beautiful country around. When you get to Sawyer Camp get out your bike, skates, walking shoes, running shoes, or even your strolling sandals. One can spend hours on each quarter mile of the 7 or so mile trail, watching the fog playing with the mountains, saying hello to the deer, and watching the most amazing assortment of humanity go by doing their own thing.

Response to "Hi" from internet friend.

Hi Shannon-

Thanks for asking, I have things working just as I hoped they would for this stage of my life, good job, good health, good singing in the SF Choral Society, family well and getting better, and all my friends at beliefnet to feed my need for stimulating conversation about important topics and to feed my blog. In the words of my health care provider, I am thriving!

I hope things are just as well for you and yours! Stay in touch.

God and dualism.

Don't Stereotype Atheists - Beliefnet Forums: "Until your modern scientific theory of consciousness can explain the presence of God in a group of worshipers, without an immaterial part to explain it, your modern scientific theory is simply scientific BS.

By the way, since there is no God in a Walmart, those spirits that try to connect with God for solace or guidance simply get lost and are doomed to haunt the Wallmart."

Collective consciousness defined.

Don't Stereotype Atheists - Beliefnet Forums: "I do find credible evidence for a 'collective consciousness' which is separate from the individual consciousness and accessible to individuals in times of emotional stress. It is nothing supernatural, just a multi-processor reservoir for the collected wisdom and lore of a tribe. The manifestation of this reservoir is called God by many tribes, and in these tribes rituals are created to reinforce the ability to access this collected wisdom called God."

Science, theology and OBEs

Don't Stereotype Atheists - Beliefnet Forums: "It may well be that at the current stage of scientific understanding of mental phenomena the theological explanation for OBEs may be as likely as the scientific."

On Bible study.

what do you think about being homosexual and being a christian? - Beliefnet Forums: "Worshiping the Bible is dangerous because it causes one to read it."

John Galt economics.

Our Economic Systems - Beliefnet Forums: "Randism is the best example of a secular relgion out there with the exception of Scientology. I have disassociated my self completely from objectivism and Randism, and refer to John Galt economics/philosophy when discussing the issues raised in Rand's novels. That offends everybody!"

Teach your children well

Teach your children well - Beliefnet Forums: "atheist children have to deal with fairly advanced moral concepts at an early age. Typical scenario,
Parent 'Don't take Billy's Toy'
Kid: 'Why'
Theist Parent 'God Says So'
Atheist Parent: 'Billy would cry if you took it.'
AK: 'So What?'
AP: 'If some other kid took your toy how would you feel?'
AK : 'I would cry''
AP: 'Just like Billy?'
AK: 'I guess Billy is just like me'
AP: Hugs kid, and finds a nice toy for herm.
AK: 'Thanks, loving atheist parent for teaching me the important moral lesson of empathy and the consideration of the moral rights of other kids to enjoy their toys and not to covet the other kid's toys.
AP: 'Oy Vey, this kid is gonna be a real challenge. I pity herm teachers when hesh gets to school."

Mist Trail and Ahwahnee at Yosemite

Kodakgallery.com Slideshow

I finally got the round tuit to add the top of Nevada Falls and another night at the Ahwahnee to my life to do list. Around 200 pictures in the 2 days distills down to about 30 worth sharing. The log that won't jump Nevada Falls is worth the trip.

Physical manifestations of faith

Is God a chordal resonance? - Beliefnet Forums: "This resonance is reinforced strongly each time the community joins to worship. As each comes to herm pew others will notice and as hesh genuflects the others notice, feel the resonance and reinforce the presence of God in the church."

Is God a chordal resonance?

Is God a chordal resonance? - Beliefnet Forums: "As humans tend to individualize groups. John's team, Mary's hospital, God's church, a group emotional resonance would be felt as an individual presence. If a tribe naturally developed an emotional resonance to mediate group morality and emotional support, the individual presence representing this group might well be co opted by a shaman as God. And then the rationalization would begin. Humans, being rationalizing animals would layer all sorts of supernatural omnipotent alpha humanoid traits on this individual presence and lo, and behold, God."

A skeptic's illusions of the gaps theory.

Don't Stereotype Atheists - Beliefnet Forums: "You are explaining OBE's, the God helmet presence, and NDE's as illusions, that is that the mind is fooled. All well and good, except that you have not explained the reality that is causing the mind to be fooled. Until you do that calling something an illusion is the same smoke and mirrors the magician uses to cause the scantily clad maiden to levitate."

Teach your children well

Teach your children well - Beliefnet Forums: "Responsible parenting is teaching your children your dreams, your fears, and yes, your Gods, and perhaps if you are really wise where your Gods have failed you."

Perfection in human terms

Atheism vs Religion - Another Perspective - Beliefnet Forums: "Perfection in human terms is rising above the common existence of people in one's society to teach better ways of relating with each other. It is usually a dangerous quest, as society generally is reluctant to change, especially if there is a God or gods involved. Gods of course deny any perfection associated with humans, as that would make humans better than Gods which are manifestly imperfect by any measure."

Abbado's Mozart c Mass

102.1 KDFC - Casual. Comfortable. Classical. - THE SACRED CONCERT: "MOZART: Mass in C minor, K. 427
Bonney, sop; Auger, sop
Blockwitz, ten; Holl, bass
Berlin Radio Choir; Berlin Philhamronic; Abbado, cond
Sony 46671"