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Avatars

fofoofofoo
edited September 2006 in Buddhism Basics
Hello everyone,

i haven`t seen any guidline for avatars here. Not that such a thing is needed, but I am aware that an avatar can be offensive for different reasons. They can be seen as voilent, rude, insulting and much more. i could imagine that the avatar i chose for instance, offends some. I merely picked it because it pleases me and for me represents the truth of buddhadharma better than any other piece of buddhist art. I am concerned however, that some might think it servers to give my arguments more authority. if people are offended by it, please tell me and I will remove it.

Regards

Comments

  • KrisPistoffersonKrisPistofferson
    edited September 2006
    LOL, I'm fairly cerain they won't ban you for it.
  • fofoofofoo
    edited September 2006
    you know, symbols and especially pictures are mighty weapons. It`s widely recognized and lead to the circumstance, that some scholars of different religions banned illustrations of what they considered holy, some even burned embassays because they thought their prophet was not correctly displayed:bawling:

    I am happy though, to have made you laugh, I laugh with you :vimp:

    Regards
  • BrigidBrigid Veteran
    edited September 2006
    You're avatar's beautiful, Fofoo. I can't imagine how it could possibly offend any member on this site. I especially love the blue in the background and the different shades of orange in the Buddha. I love vivid, vibrant colour.
  • XraymanXrayman Veteran
    edited September 2006
    hey it's all okay, many of us (in particular, me) offend everybody equally here so it's all fine.

    Just don't mention breach of copyright on movie images, or I'm screwed.
  • questZENerquestZENer Veteran
    edited September 2006
    When I first joined the site, I was also very conscious of my avatar. I noticed that just about everyone decided to choose one. Not only that, everyone who had one, which was just about everyone, had to go through a very specific process to upload it--it had to be a certain range of formats, a certain size, etc. I think it speaks to the appeal of the site that just about everyone has an avatar.

    I find it very interesting to notice when and how members' avatars change. For example, Federica and I went from having pics of ourselves to having pics of nature to represent us. From the time I've been on the site, Brigid has had a pic of herself to represent her. Xrayman had something else before the unmentionable pic he has now--and his 'avatar quote' was different, too, though I can't quite seem to remember what either were before what he has now. All this politics of representation is really cool, methinks.

    How many of you see your avatar as related to your view/s on D/dharma?

    On my part, what I have representing me was taken on a beautiful day on Martha's Vinyard, MA. As I tend towards a 'Buddhism of the everyday', for me, the smallest detail is an opportunity for practice and, therefore, for Dharma. Anyone else wish to comment on their avatar and what it means to them?
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited September 2006
    Dang.....
    I don't remember the absolutely correct and accurate quotation, but it has to do with the roots of the lotus being in mud, but the flower arising and opening unsullied....
    It's an aspirational avatar.... kind of "I'm aiming for this"..... :D:thumbsup:
  • BrigidBrigid Veteran
    edited September 2006
    Morning Fede!! Good to see you!

    My avatar is just a pic of me that I like because it was shot by a friend of mine who's a professional photographer. I like it because he was always able to put me at ease and bring me out of my self consciousness long enough to take an honest picture. In this one he told me to think about how much I loved my friends who were in the other room having a little party (and thinking about having their picture taken) and just when I started to think about them and not me...he took the photo. So, whenever I see it I'm reminded how much happier I really am when I'm not thinking about myself.
  • SimonthepilgrimSimonthepilgrim Veteran
    edited September 2006
    I haven't changed my avatar since I joined NB because I have been contemplating and meditating on this mandala for the past 10 years and am still no nearer exhausting the 'fruit' of it.
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited September 2006
    Great, Simon! Then what hope is there for the rest of us???

    You disappoint me, you really do..... :lol::lol::lol:
  • XraymanXrayman Veteran
    edited September 2006
    questZENer wrote:
    When I first joined the site, I was also very conscious of my avatar. I noticed that just about everyone decided to choose one. Not only that, everyone who had one, which was just about everyone, had to go through a very specific process to upload it--it had to be a certain range of formats, a certain size, etc. I think it speaks to the appeal of the site that just about everyone has an avatar.

    I find it very interesting to notice when and how members' avatars change. For example, Federica and I went from having pics of ourselves to having pics of nature to represent us. From the time I've been on the site, Brigid has had a pic of herself to represent her. Xrayman had something else before the unmentionable pic he has now--and his 'avatar quote' was different, too, though I can't quite seem to remember what either were before what he has now. All this politics of representation is really cool, methinks.

    How many of you see your avatar as related to your view/s on D/dharma?

    On my part, what I have representing me was taken on a beautiful day on Martha's Vinyard, MA. As I tend towards a 'Buddhism of the everyday', for me, the smallest detail is an opportunity for practice and, therefore, for Dharma. Anyone else wish to comment on their avatar and what it means to them?

    Well thanks for remembering my Avatar! it was the wheel of Dharma completely unrelated to my Xrayman Moniker. and te quote was the usual "old friend of the site" etc. default one that you "win" when you reach 100 (posts).

    my new Avatar is a still from a movie which I LOVE, The Truman Show with Jim Carrey. I'm the first to admit he's a bit of a nutbag in most of his movies, kind of B class acting, however he shines in Truman and Eternal sunshine...blow me away-both movies...

    Anyway, the still is about the last few seconds of the movie when he realises that his world is totally fake-he eascapes the shell through a door, and says to the "Director", Good afternoon, good evening and..goodnight-he informs everyone watching that he has awakened to the unreal life he was born into-very friggin buddhist-I think. So that's why i have it.
  • XraymanXrayman Veteran
    edited September 2006
    federica wrote:
    Dang.....
    I don't remember the absolutely correct and accurate quotation, but it has to do with the roots of the lotus being in mud, but the flower arising and opening unsullied....
    It's an aspirational avatar.... kind of "I'm aiming for this"..... :D:thumbsup:

    i believe (I could be wrong) that the lotus is almost a pseudonym sp? for the Buddha.

    The lotus is very beautiful, however it has its roots in the sludge and filth at the bottom of the pond, it arises in full bloom into the sunlight. almost like purity from filth-I said that-no one's quote teehee
  • PadawanPadawan Veteran
    edited September 2006
    Since we're talking about our avatars, I'll explain mine. It's a combination of two images, the first one being a very nice 3-D rendered 'OM' symbol that I found while trawling the web, and the background that I superimposed it on is a fraction of a photograph taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. I rather liked the effect that resulted, as it seemed to show stardust coming off of the symbol.
  • BrigidBrigid Veteran
    edited September 2006
    Yes, it's beautiful, Padawan.
  • YogaMamaYogaMama
    edited September 2006
    My avatar is pretty self explanatory...me and my little daughter. :) She's the light of my life (along with my husband, but he would kill me if I put a picture of him on here).

    Padawan, I really like your avatar. I like it even more now that I know you did part of it yourself. Very cool.
  • buddhafootbuddhafoot Veteran
    edited September 2006
    I picked my avatar because that cat doesn't look too happy about looking like an idiot. Oddly, it reflects my feelings about myself most of the time.

    -bf
  • XraymanXrayman Veteran
    edited September 2006
    Sometimes the actual "looking" is not as bad as the perception of how you look.
  • XraymanXrayman Veteran
    edited September 2006
    Padawan wrote:
    Since we're talking about our avatars, I'll explain mine. It's a combination of two images, the first one being a very nice 3-D rendered 'OM' symbol that I found while trawling the web, and the background that I superimposed it on is a fraction of a photograph taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. I rather liked the effect that resulted, as it seemed to show stardust coming off of the symbol.

    Hi Padawan,
    Yes about the image, I don't believe is from the HST, it's too clear:lol:
  • PalzangPalzang Veteran
    edited September 2006
    Xrayman wrote:
    i believe (I could be wrong) that the lotus is almost a pseudonym sp? for the Buddha.

    The lotus is very beautiful, however it has its roots in the sludge and filth at the bottom of the pond, it arises in full bloom into the sunlight. almost like purity from filth-I said that-no one's quote teehee

    So actually it's a symbol for enlightenment, the pure being arising from the muck of samsara. The lotus is also a feminine symbol (do I need to explain? ;)) and the vajra or dorje is a male symbol (also for obvious reasons). So when you hear of Padmasambhava being the lotus-born, there is clearly more than one way to interpret that.

    Palzang
  • XraymanXrayman Veteran
    edited September 2006
    ewww. *silly schoolboy giggle* teeheee he said, "feminine symbol" hehehe.
  • KungaTashiKungaTashi
    edited September 2006
    Mine's pretty easy to explain... it's me!
  • PadawanPadawan Veteran
    edited September 2006
    My avatar has now changed, and is an Oriental-styled painting of a Koi carp, as one of my hobbies is keeping fish, and now that I've settled into my new home, I hope to install an aquarium in the house, and a Koi pond in the garden. I have also changed my personal sub-heading to Jumping The Waterfall to reflect this. According to legend, when Koi jump the waterfalls on the Yellow River, they are striving to better themselves, and when one successfully jumps the waterfall known as the Dragon gate, he is transformed into a Dragon. I thought the metaphor was wonderfully appropriate to our ongoing quest for enlightenment, as we jump the waterfalls of life, hoping to become enlightened Dragons.
  • SimonthepilgrimSimonthepilgrim Veteran
    edited September 2006
    Padawan wrote:
    My avatar has now changed, and is an Oriental-styled painting of a Koi carp, as one of my hobbies is keeping fish, and now that I've settled into my new home, I hope to install an aquarium in the house, and a Koi pond in the garden. I have also changed my personal sub-heading to Jumping The Waterfall to reflect this. According to legend, when Koi jump the waterfalls on the Yellow River, they are striving to better themselves, and when one successfully jumps the waterfall known as the Dragon gate, he is transformed into a Dragon. I thought the metaphor was wonderfully appropriate to our ongoing quest for enlightenment, as we jump the waterfalls of life, hoping to become enlightened Dragons.

    Interesting myth story, Padawan. In his Also Sprach Zarathustra, Nietzsche has the myth of the camel, which become a lion called "I will", battles with the dragon "Thou shalt" and, winning, become, at last, a free-wheeling child!
  • YogaMamaYogaMama
    edited September 2006
    Love the new avatar, Padawan! And I love your new personal sub-heading as well. We plan on having a koi pond at our next house. We are currently looking at different porperties so that we can build a house, and we are pretty excited about that.

    My new avatar is a picture that my husband took in our backyard.
  • MagwangMagwang Veteran
    edited September 2006
    Simonthepilgrim wrote:
    I haven't changed my avatar since I joined NB because I have been contemplating and meditating on this mandala for the past 10 years and am still no nearer exhausting the 'fruit' of it.

    Simon, do you have a high-res version of the mandala? I would like to see it in more detail, if that's ok.

    I am fascinated by sand mandalas. HHDL participated in one in Toronto when he was here - I think he helped dump it.

    ::

    Oh, and my latest avatar is Stephen Colbert. He helped add the word "truthiness" to our lexicon (something that has the ring of truth) For an example of thruthiness, see the One Percent Doctrine.
  • PadawanPadawan Veteran
    edited September 2006
    YogaMama wrote:
    My new avatar is a picture that my husband took in our backyard.

    That's beautiful! Is that a Monarch butterfly? You are so lucky to see those! We get Cabbage Whites and the odd Red Admiral here...
  • YogaMamaYogaMama
    edited September 2006
    Yes, it is a Monarch. We get tons in our backyard because they love our sunflowers and all the other flowers we have in the yard. Speaking of which, our Morning Glory's seem to be confused! They are opening up in the evening instead of the morning! LOL!
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