Ben Harper & Jack Johnson - My own two hands

What Do You Fear ?

There's so much fear in our lives.

If there's greed for something, or passion for something, there's the fear that you're not going to get it; or the fear that once you have got it, you're going to be deprived of it.

Then there's the fear based on anger. You know that if a certain thing happens it's going to hurt, you're going suffer, so you're afraid of it.

Lastly, there's the fear of delusion, of what you don't know. There's the sense of fear that there may not be any meaning or purpose to life; that it's just pointless suffering.

The purpose of meditation is to dig into the roots of these fears. Ask yourself "What exactly does my happiness depend on?" People will allow their happiness to depend on a whole lot of conditions; their health; the economy, the climate, the political situations, the continued beating of certain hearts.

So what do you do? You learn to look inside. You learn to develop a happiness less and less dependent on things outside, and more and more inward qualities. Since much of our happiness depends on undependable things, meditation points to a dimension beyond the reach of things that could harm our happiness.

The teachings of the Buddha takes you from the ordinary miseries of human life and leads you beyond, to a dimension where there is no misery.

The practice of this learning helps you remove the greed, passion, anger and delusions of your life.

When these are gone, you are left only with happiness.

Who Would You Believe ?

Who would you believe about critical issues?

Let's look at a few of the options: Ned the neighbor, Reg the radio pundit, Paul the politician or Sid the scientist?

From conversations around me, the first three seem to win out over the latter.

What are the qualifications of each? Ned, if he made it through high school at all, perhaps did so with the help of his girl friend -- who has since gone on to become an educator. Reg depends upon inciting ignorance and agitating animus among his listeners. Paul relies on the campaign contributions of the local (and usually polluting) industries in his district.

Sid, however, works in a system set up to reward finding the truth and to punish hiding it. So, as a matter of self-interest, scientists are nudged toward the truth. They suffer a loss of prestige and esteem (and future funding) if someone else fails to replicate an experiment they have used to back up a claim. This is called "peer review."

This past week, Vice President Gore told the Senate that Congress must pass a comprehensive climate bill this year.

Subsequently, Alden Meyer, of the Union of Concerned Scientists said, "Once again, Vice President Gore is speaking the inconvenient truth: It's long past time for the U.S. to join the rest of the world in the fight against global warming, and it's essential for Congress to pass comprehensive climate legislation this year."

Finally, a recent poll among scientists regarding whether there is man made climate change, 92 percent said "Yes".

So who are you going to believe?

Born Again American

The U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights are what all Americans live under as the rule of law. Our Founders had it right. Let's see whether we Americans can practice their ideals.

What the Inauguration Meant to Me

Many of my postings revolve around an informed and involved citizenry, and our founding documents: The Constitution and the Bill of Rights.  Following these themes, here are a few excerpts from President Barack Obama's Inaugural Address that resonate with me:

"On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.  On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics.  

The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history. 

The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works -- whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.  Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man.  Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience sake.

Recall that earlier generations ... understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please.  Instead they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

Our challenges may be new. But those values upon which our success depends -- honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old.  These things are true.  They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. 

This is the price and the promise of citizenship."  

The Rancher and Climate Change

I suspect that our ranchers and farmers will recognize the facts of climate change sooner than some.  That's because it's staring them in the face.

Drought conditions in Texas are so bad cattle are keeling over in parched pastures and dying.

Seventy-one percent of the state is now in some stage of drought. The two worst drought designations - extreme and exceptional - covered 15.1 percent of the state. 

Will that rancher care about the warming in Antarctica?

Maybe not, unless his ranch is along the coast.  But homeowners and businesses along all coastal cities should perhaps be concerned.  

Antarctica warming has major ramifications for sea level rise. Research has found that since 1957, the annual temperature for the entire continent of Antarctica has warmed by about 1 degree Fahrenheit. West Antarctica, which is about 20 degrees warmer than the east, has warmed nearly twice as fast.  

Of course as the sea level rises, our coastal towns and cities sink.  

And who is concerned that trees in old growth forests across the West are dying?  The death rate is doubling every 17 to 29 years, according to a 52-year study published in the Friday edition of the journal Science. The scientists conclude this is probably caused by longer and hotter summers from a changing climate.

These were just three articles that I noticed this past week.  How much longer will ideology continue to ignore facts and subvert science?  How does your congressional representative vote on these issues?  Find out -- it's your planet, too.

Pink Floyd - The Great Gig in the Sky

These 3 singers give expression to my heart regarding the past 8 years. Cathartic. Next week's music will be more hopeful.

The Legacy

George W. Bush leaves office on January 20 as one of the most vilified presidents in American history. He is responsible for the condition the country is in.

Here is Bush's legacy, in part:

He took the nation to a war of choice under false pretenses. He violated his oath to defend the Constitution by illegally spying on Americans, and by kidnapping and imprisoning men without charges or a speedy trial. He embraced torture as an interrogation tactic and turned the world's champion of human dignity into an outlaw nation. He watched as a major American city went under water. He was at the helm as the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression took hold. He squandered a unique opportunity to unite the country and even the world behind a shared agenda after 9/11. He subverted science in order to champion ideology. And he deliberately politicized the federal government, leaving behind a broken government.

I have heard the lame rationalization that "He prevented another attack."  Bunk.  The only attack that we know of for sure is the one he failed (though he had been warned) to prevent. And since when do the terrorists operate on a schedule?  The two most recent foreign attacks on our soil were in 1993 and 2001.   

Finally, as we remember this laundry list of failures, let's not forget the lockstep culpability of the Republican members of Congress.  For six years, they watched these rotted seeds being planted and did nothing as the plant grew.  They did it because they let loyalty to party trump responsibility to the nation. 

Why People Vote Republican

Given the dismal failure of the Republicans over the past eight years, you would expect the voters to send them a loud and clear message.

Yet the Republican presidential candidate received 46% nationally, 56% in Texas, and 70% in my county.

Why?

Through the years, I've listened to co-workers, friends and family explain their reasons.  Here are the top five from that group.  (There are more and other reasons, but these are the top five from the people around me.)

1. I was raised Republican.  OK ... but don't you have a mind and free will of your own?

2. The federal government is evil.  OK ... but the founder of the Republican party (Lincoln) waged a civil war to keep the country together, and establish the supremacy of the federal law over state law.

3. The desire to establish a theocratic totalitarian state.  OK ... but did you forget or not know that the first settlers came from England to escape such state run religion?

4. Racial chauvinism. OK ... but having read Jesus' two commandments, why do you have such a narrow view of who is your neighbor? 

5. Peer pressure brought on by willful ignorance.  OK ... but it's better to be informed than entertained.

My experience is that no facts, evidence or reason will move these views.  The proof is in the percentages given at the beginning of this post.

Therefore, I will vote with my ballot and my credit card to prevent these people from getting into office.  

Antoine Dufour - Spiritual Groove

I just discovered Mr. Dufour. He brings such a wonderful vitality to his playing. Watch both hands carefully.

The Grain of the Wood

An important part of the Buddhist practice is discernment. That is, which qualities in the mind are skillful and which are unskillful. The skillful ones help make your knowledge clearer, make you see things more clearly -- things like mindulness, concentration and discernment, together with the qualities they depend on: virtue, morality and persistence. These are the good guys in the mind. These are the ones you have to nurture, the ones you have to work at. If you don't work at them, they won't come on their own.

The Buddhist practice is like polishing wood. The grain is already there in the wood, but unless you apply the oil, unless you polish it, it doesn't shimmer, it doesn't shine. If you want to see the beauty of the grain, you have to apply the oil, you have to work at it. You don't create the grain, but applying the oil is what brings out the grain already there.

So practicing the Buddha's path is like polishing away at the mind to see what's of real value there within the mind. That's what the mindfulness, the persistence, the ardency, and all the other terms the Buddha uses that suggest effort and exertion.

Exposing and beautifying the grain of your mind, and ultimately the grain of a skillful life, requires the daily effort of the Buddha's practice.

Our Constitution's Values

In my posts, I frequently celebrate our Constitution and its enduring values.  

Now the nightmare of its subversion appears to be almost over.

I applaud Mr. Obama's choice of Dawn Johnsen to head the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel and Leon Panetta to head the Central Intelligence Agency.

I cannot say it better than giving you their words.

Ms Johnsen said in March, 2008: "We must avoid any temptation simply to move on. We must instead be honest with ourselves and the world as we condemn our nation's past transgressions and reject Bush's corruption of our American ideals. Our constitutional democracy cannot survive with a government shrouded in secrecy, nor can our nation's honor be restored without full disclosure."

Mr. Panetta's word are equally stirring: "Our Constitution defines the rules that guide our nation. It was drafted by those who looked around the world of the eighteenth century and saw persecution, torture, and other crimes against humanity and believed that America could be better than that. This new nation would recognize that every individual has an inherent right to personal dignity, to justice, to freedom from cruel and unusual punishment.

"We have preached these values to the world. We have made clear that there are certain lines Americans will not cross because we respect the dignity of every human being. That pledge was written into the oath of office given to every president, "to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution." It's what is supposed to make our leaders different from every tyrant, dictator, or despot. We are sworn to govern by the rule of law, not by brute force."

Bravo!

The Sky in Motion

Watch this video in hi-def by visiting here.


túrána hott kurdís by hasta la otra méxico! from Till Credner on Vimeo.

Meditation May Protect Your Brain

For thousands of years, Buddhist meditators have claimed that the simple act of sitting down and following their breath while letting go of intrusive thoughts can free one from the entanglements of suffering.

Now, scientists are using cutting-edge scanning technology to watch the meditating mind at work. They are finding that regular meditation has a measurable effect on a variety of brain structures related to attention.

A team of Emory University scientists reported that experienced Zen meditators were much better than control subjects at dropping extraneous thoughts and returning to the breath.

The Emory team tested Zen meditators and non-meditators.  They discovered that the meditators, once distracted were able to quickly return to focus.  The non-meditators were easily distracted and had difficulty returning to and maintaining focus.

It is widely known that people lose neurons (gray matter) and have more trouble concentrating as they age, the study published last year by the Emory team found this wasn't true of the Zen practitioners.

What they saw in the meditators was pretty much a straight line. There was no decrease with age in their gray-matter volume.

So meditate today; your mind is a terrible thing to waste! 

Bloodshed in Gaza

It may be a new year, but the bloodshed in Gaza this past week is a clear reminder that peace will not come when the heart is filled with greed, hatred or delusion.  These three are the causes of all suffering.

Since December 27, these horrific attacks on Gaza have caused over 400 Palestinian deaths and 2000 injuries. Rocket fire by armed Palestinian groups, including Hamas, has taken the lives of 4 Israelis and caused several dozen injuries. All human beings should condemn the violence on both sides and call on all parties to abide by international law and policies. 

The U.S. government cannot continue its lop-sided blame on Hamas for the crisis. We must acknowledge Israel's disproportional response and its policies which have brought the Gaza Strip to the brink of humanitarian disaster. 

Civilians in Gaza, already trapped in dehumanizing conditions, are victims of Israeli air strikes and intensified attacks. Israeli blockades of humanitarian supplies continue to deny Palestinians the food and medical supplies they desperately need. 

Join Amnesty International in calling to help lift Gaza out of this crisis.