Best Of
Re: Just for fun: the random, useless announcements thread!
I've been working towards losing weight. As of today, I'm officially under 90kgs (-5 kgs) and going by BMI, not obese anymore, just overweight!
marcitko
Re: Tonglen
Thank you. Interesting question. I can be rather melancholic. But I'm the kind of person who tries to be in touch with his emotions as much as possible, I use them for introspection, for creativity, etc. So I feel just as positively about crying than about laughing for example. And I've struggled with depression for most of my life, so I'm not exactly sure how the kind of equanimity you're referring to would be different from things I've experienced in the past. If you mean a lack of passion, a reduced drive to fuel and satisfy desires, a general mood of ambiguity by it... well, the artist in me would certainly see it as a loss and my wife could get worried over such. But I'm not too eager to get there just yet. These are my baby steps into Buddhism. I'm at around week 1 of not eating meat, after almost 39 years. Half my life I didn't bother myself about the ethics of how I watch my movies and stuff. I almost never meditate and I've yet to visit a sangha for the very first time. Think of me as a tourist who's looking for a rental for an unspecified time, people who move to a new country experience some sort of a low after a first few months or years of high and I'm not yet anywhere near that experience with Buddhism and spirituality of any sort and people I encountered in the past who came across as strict "you either do it like this or there's no point doing it at all", "meditation is not supposed to make you feel good, don't become a buddhist to be happier, drop all the new age bs" etc only made me defiant. In most things I'm an autodidact with lots of procastination. But que sera, sera. And yes, Tibetan Buddhism and Mahayana seems to appeal to me most (I don't think I'd start with Zen, but I did get a zen circle tattoo many years ago, before I even knew about its deep connection to religion, I simply liked its possible interpretations as a symbol).
RobinH
Re: What documentary are you watching?
Not a documentary, but some food for thought.
Peter Beinart sits down with Jon Stewart to discuss his book "Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning."
Together, they reflect on what it means to speak out against Israel’s actions, from a Jewish perspective.
They explore how Jewish history can guide us to be saviours, not oppressors; the failure of the U.S. and U.N. to hold Netanyahu accountable; the importance of critical discourse within the Jewish community; and how truly listening to Palestinian stories reveals the depth of dehumanisation they face.
Peter Beinart - "Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning" | The Daily Show
At our Saturday market stall, where we collect donations for Medical Aid for Palestinians, we're sometimes joined by a local Israeli woman. She has supported Palestinian self-determination for many years, both here and back in Israel.
What’s happening in Gaza has been hard for her to come to terms with. It causes her real anxiety and distress. And yet she continues to help out.
Her presence is a quiet reminder that this is not about religion or ethnicity, it’s about standing with others in their struggle for justice, even when it’s personally painful.
Shoshin1
Jubilee Surrounded : 1 Progressive vs 20 Far-Right Conservatives (ft. Mehdi Hasan)
I found this debate quite interesting...A real eye opener ...especially the guy called Conner 22 minutes in.
Mehdi Hasan does a good job dismantling their arguments...
What Jubilee cut out would be interesting to see.
Shoshin1
Re: Big Earthquake 8.6 off Russian coast Tsunami warning for Alaska. Hawaii and the West coast of the US
@Shoshin1 said:
No tsunami warning for us here in Aotearoa ....yet.
However we have been having severe storms and flooding on and off for the last couple of months.
Hello from across the pond 
We're in the throes of heavy rain (again) and storms expected tonight. I did read Australia might get a tsunami of about 1 metre on the East Coast but nothing solid and nothing compared to the rest of the world. I hope everyone here who lives in the expected paths stays safe.
Re: Big Earthquake 8.6 off Russian coast Tsunami warning for Alaska. Hawaii and the West coast of the US
@Shoshin1 I hope you all stay safe over there