Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Dead Bachelors in Remote China Still Find Wives

CHENJIAYUAN, China — For many Chinese, an ancestor is someone to honor, but also someone whose needs must be maintained. Families burn offerings of fake money or paper models of luxury cars in case an ancestor might need pocket change or a stylish ride in the netherworld.

But here in the parched canyons along the Yellow River known as the Loess Plateau, some parents with dead bachelor sons will go a step further. To ensure a son’s contentment in the afterlife, some grieving parents will search for a dead woman to be his bride and, once a corpse is obtained, bury the pair together as a married couple.

The rural folk custom, startling to Western sensibilities, is known as minghun, or afterlife marriage. Scholars who have studied it say it is rooted in the Chinese form of ancestor worship, which holds that people continue to exist after death and that the living are obligated to tend to their wants — or risk the consequences. Traditional Chinese beliefs also hold that an unmarried life is incomplete, which is why some parents worry that an unmarried dead son may be an unhappy one.

In some villages, a son is eligible for such a spouse if he is 12 or older when he dies. None of the people interviewed considered the custom shameful or overly macabre. Instead, it was described as a parental duty to a lost child that reflected Confucian values about loyalty to family.

“Parents have a sense of responsibility for their son,” said one woman, Li Yinlan. She said she had attended ceremonies where the coffins were placed side by side and musicians played a dirge. “They have this custom everywhere,” she said of her region.

The Communist Party has tried, with mixed success, to stamp out beliefs it considers to be superstition. But the continued practice of the ancient custom in the Loess Plateau is a testament to the region’s extreme isolation. In other parts of rural China, it is difficult to know how often, if at all, the custom is followed.

for full article go here.

Bodhidharma: the blue eyed barberian


For today, here is a bit of the story of the Blue Eyed Barbarian, the son of a Indian King, who chose monkhood over governing a state.

Travelling across mountains, through winds and skies, he came from India to China to share a sutra which was until then unknown by the then established buddhists schools, Bodhidharma belongs to the Buddhist legend. Some writings give him up to 150 years, and even see him walking around India’s counry side after his death, a shoe in his hand.

For 7 years he sat in front of a wall, in a cave, practicing the wall meditation, that is sitting in zazen with no words or no outside contacts. On the 7th year, he fell alseep, and angry at himself he pulled out his eyelid and threw it on the floor, creating the tea leaf to keep monks awake.
The 28th patriarch of buddhism, a direct line from the Buddha himself, the 1st Zen/Chan patriarch, a form of Mahayana buddhism, some call him the fundator of Kun Fu, the martial art practiced in Shaolin temples.

Here is a fine exemple of buddhist humor, in the legendary meeting between Bodhidharma and the ruler of the time, Emperor Wu, an emperor who happened to be a devoted buddhist of the Liang Dynasty (around 520 on the gregorian calendar).

The emperor asks Bodhidharma:
"What is the highest meaning of noble truth?"
"There is no noble truth." answers Bodhidharma.
The emperor then asked Bodhidharma:
"How much karmic merit have I earned by ordaining Buddhist monks, building monasteries, having sutras copied, and commissioning Buddha images?"
"None."
The emperor out of patience with the Blue Eyed Barbarian then asked Bodhidharma:
"Who is standing before me?"
"I don't know."

Links:
Bodhidharma in wiki
Painting by Qiao Seng
Article in french

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Salut l'abbé.


Article en francais ici.

A good bye and good trip to Henri Grouès, also called the Abbé Pierre.
Voted for many years as the French favorite man; a wwII resistant, a rebel Capucin priest who dared saying yes to condoms, a direct disorder to the Pope's orders; creator of Emmaus, an international organization helping the needy; an inspiration leaves this world for his next trip.
Famous for his cry out to help in the cold winter of 1954, when a woman died freezing in the snow after getting evicted from her room. From this event he fought to pass a law that made it illegal to evict someone during too cold weathers.
L'abbé Pierre died at 94, living this world a better place for all those he helped, and for those that will be helped by his services which will outlast him by many thanks and prayers.

Bon voyage l'abbé...

Quotes from the abbé:

"Hell is the others" wrote Sartres. I am intimately convinced that it is the opposite. Hell is oneself cut from the others. "

"The responsability of each of us implies 2 things: to want to know and to dare saying it"

"We can not, under the pretext that it is impossible to do everything in one day, do nothing at all"

"L'Abbé Pierre (born Henri Antoine Grouès in Lyon) (August 5, 1912 - January 22, 2007), France. Abbé (which means father and is also found in abbot) is a courtesy title given to a Catholic priests...."
Read the rest of his bio here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abb%C3%A9_Pierre

Picture by Henri Cartier Bresson:
http://www.henricartierbresson.org/

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Recycling myth

I am sure most of you hippies are active recyclers, maybe even go shop at co-ops, and are able to buy in bulk, saving plastic baggs and packaging.

There is one good news and one bad news about this.
the bad news first:
Recycling paper, seperating cans, and plastic might be an utter waste of your time, and might actually pollute more than it helps the environement. On top of it, this pollution cost you and your community, the tax payers, some extra money. Now it does create jobs, but is sorting through shit really the types of jobs we want to create?
Why would recycling be so bad?
Well, for exemple paper. To recycle it, recycling plants use chlorine to get the ink out, a chemical extremely harmfull to the environement.
Also, think about how much gaz was used to get those trucks from each of your houses and apartement complexes to the recycling plants.
You seperate things in your kcthen, yet, it all goes back into one big rotting pile when it gets to the factories!

Now, the good news:
Buying from bulk at your local co-op IS the best you can do for the environement. It saves on packaging, and it saves people from having crappy jobs designing cereal boxes after toothbrush adds and whatnot.

For more details and information about aspects of recycling which you might be surprised by, check out the excellent Penn & Teller show: Bullshit!.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7734998370503499886&q=penn+and+teller

In the end, the best for the environment is a mindfull consumer, and a non wastefull one. so, think about it twice next time you buy candies that are each individually wrapped, next step is wrapping the air and selling it by the ballon, with a nice clean logo on it that says "save the earth, buy fresh air"

What about you? do you recycle, and would you be ready to stop if you realize it is just a nice and conforting fashionnable trend? What facts do you know about recycling business that might help make up our minds?
What trick do you know that saves resources? such as the sticker on your door that says "no advertisers or i'll shut you"?

http://www.pennandteller.com/

Article in french / en francais.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Respect and the flower


Text en francais ici.
Part 5 : Reality
4 : what is respect.

Many people confuse admiration with respect….
Respect means to observe yourself when you have contact with someone or something. First you will notice that you are hypocritical or prejudiced. You will also notice that it is impossible to understand others. There is always something that you do not understand. As a result your attitude changes. This is respect.

For exemple, you see a flower. If you think it is a flower, you have no respect for it. If you obeserve yourself, you will see your thoughts have no value and you will start to see the flower more attentively. You will also discover many things that you do not understand. Then respect for the flower is born.

Part 3 : Perception

Video_card


Video_card
Vidéo envoyée par gamatron
Video card:
This is not a _blank page
Ce n'est pas une _blank page

Amon Tobin


Amon Tobin
Vidéo envoyée par gamatron
Amon Tobin 's Supermodified hommage.

Hommage à PK Dick


Zygotebartender
Vidéo envoyée par gamatron
Ma première tentative à un clip complet en 3d. Dans la série du bar tender.

My first 3d attempt at a full clip. From the bartender series.

P K Dick hommage.

Monday, January 08, 2007

Politiquement correct

Article en francais ici.

When will the bowlshit stop? One wanders...Sure seems to get thicker by the day.
Check this one out:

www.huffingtonpost.com/2006/1...06.html

Park Service Can't Give Official Age Of Grand Canyon For Fear Of Offending Creationists...

"Due to pressure from Bush Administration officials, the National Park Service is not permitted to give an official age for the Grand Canyon. Additionally, a book claiming the Grand Canyon was created by Noah's flood is for sale at the National Park's bookstore.

The sale of Grand Canyon: A Different View was scheduled for review over three years ago, but no such review has been schedule or even requested. The creationist book was the only item approved for sale in 2003 (22 other items were rejected)"

See also: www.peer.org/news/news_id.php
"In order to avoid offending religious fundamentalists, our National Park Service is under orders to suspend its belief in geology,” stated PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch. “It is disconcerting that the official position of a national park as to the geologic age of the Grand Canyon is ‘no comment."

Sunday, January 07, 2007

Sur la route pour Samadhi.



Un extrait du livre "Voyage Intérieur d'un Etranger". Chemin vers une Nouvelle Perception. 2002.
Ecrit par Kenjiro Yoshigasaki, Maitre de ki-aikido et successeur de Morihei Ueshiba.
Publication: Werner Kristkeitz Verlag.
Part 3 : Perception
"La plupart des gens utilisent 2 mots pour décrire l’intérieur du corps. Pensée et sentiment. Cela veut vraiment dire mots et pas de mots. Les pensées sont des mots dans notre corps, qui peuvent être dits ou exprimés, et le sentiment est quelque chose qui n’est pas un mot mais que l’on peut reconnaitre et qui pourrait éventuellement être décrit utilisant des mots. La psychologie a donnée au public l’idée qu’en exprimant les sentiments nous pouvons maintenir une bonne sentée psychologique. Si vous êtes interressé par aider les autres, cette idée peut être convenable. Par contre, vous serez dépendants sur l’aide des autres pour exprimer vos sentiments aux autres.
De l’autre coté, si vous êtes intérressé de vivre votre propre vie, c’est mieux de ne pas exprimer vos sentiments.
Vous devez retourner à la compréhension de base que lorsque la perception de votre corps est exprimée avec des mots, c’est ce que l’on appelle un sentiment. En l’exprimant, la réalité est que vous le distordez parce que vous l’associez à de la mémoire.
C’est pourquoi le concept des sentiments est utilitaire à comprendre et qu’éventuellement peut aider les autres mais ce n’est d’aucune utilité et nocif si appliqué à vous même. De plus, lorsque vous percevez à l’intérieur de votre corps, vous trouverez qu’il est trés riche comme de la musique ou une peinture. Il est beaucoup plus riche que les sentiments, qui ne sont que des mots. C’est vrai que la plupart des gens ne comprennent pas la richesse de la musique ou de la peinture et restent avec les mots pour les décrire. Vous devez apprendre a écouter votre corps tout comme écouter de la musique ou regarder de l’art sans interpreter avec des mots."
Lien:
Le livre Inner Voyage of a Stranger.
Kenjiro_Yoshigasaki
Samadhi.
Image de Samadhi: gamatron.net. Vous êtes bienvenue à la garder pour méditation:)
-----------------------------
On the Road to Samadhi.

Extract of the book "Inner Voyage of a Stranger". Pathways to a New Perception. 2002.
Written by Kenjiro Yoshigasaki, a Master in ki-aikido, direct line from the creator of aikido Morihei Ueshiba.
Publication: Werner Kristkeitz Verlag.

Part 3 : Perception

"Most people use two words to describe the inside of the body. Thought and feeling. This actually means words and non-words. Thoughts are words in our body, which may be pronounced or written, and feeling is something that is not a word but is recognisable and could eventually be expressed using words. Psychology has given the public the idea that by expressing your feelings you can maintain good psychological health. If you are interested in helping others, that idea may be a suitable one. On the other hand, you will be dependant on other people’s help by expressing your feelings to others.

However, if you are interested in living your own life, it is better not to express your feelings.
You must get back to the basic understanding that when body perception is expressed in words, it is called a feeling. By expressing it, you actually distort it because you associate it with some memory.

That is why the concept of feeling is useful to understand and eventually to help others but it is useless and harmful if applied to yourself. Furthermore, when you percieve inside your body, you will find it to be very rich like music or painting. It is much richer than feelings, which are only words. At the same time it is true that most people do not understand the richness of music or painting and just stick to words about them. You must learn to listen to your body just like listening to music or looking at art without interpreting with words."

Image of Samadhi by gamatron.net

Thursday, January 04, 2007

Stoned in Suburbia

Here is a superbe british documentary, alook into british pot smoking. The video is a nice change from the myth of the lone and lazy teenager, and depicts every day people, that happen to enjoy smoking the herb along with the other millions of smokers.
Favorite line is when grand ma baking chicken pot pies for her community of elders, says : "i only use pure bud"! Grand ma sure knows her stuff.

Check the video "Stoned in Suburbia"here:
"Stoned In Suburbia is a social history film, examining the change in people's opinions to cannabis over the past 50 years. Discussing the all impact of the 60's sexual revolution, the Hippie movement, the emergence of the Punks right up until the modern day."

Have a cup of your favorite tea and enjoy those 40 mns of pure fun:)