The Echo and the light

In Search of Shambhala

a mythical Kingdom hidden somewhere in deep inner Asia, some say it's near Kyzyl, Tuva, others say Кызыл might be closer, while still others say Kizil. Most agree that within it's confines (if you believe Shambala possess borders) there are fruits that are always ripe, whose flavor is are as the leaves are to the limbs.

It's like finding hope
In an old folk song
That you've never ever heard
Still you know every word
And for sure you can sing along

-Devendra Banhart 

The double eyed fat mouse could not but invite the one eyed squirrel into its home; but it took no pains to give feast to her, and said nothing about a parting gift. She, the one eyed, however, was not to be put off; so she asked for something to excessively large to carry away with her in remembrance of her visit. The double eyed accordingly produced two baskets, same as before, but this time one of the basket’s bellies contained weight. That weight was distributed between the following items

·        a modicum of jelly

·        an extremely small replica of Namazu 鯰 a  giant catfish who lives below japan and when it move causes the earth to shift above it, sometimes violently, sometimes causing earthquakes, and sometimes causing daylight to stop entering into night for long periods of time, uncountable days. 

·        a small wooden replica of a stack of books representing the concept of Tsundoku 積んどく, which literally means reading pile, and figuratively the pile of unread book piling up on your shelf. 

·        A full size kirpan ਕਿਰਪਾਨ. A small blade that obeys the commandment given by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699 that Sikhs must wear five articles of faith at all times, the kirpan being one of five articles.

·        A sack of Klippfisk,  Norwegian Fish jerky.

·        Two Korean "sport" themed novelty urinal toys to be mounted in the bottom of urinals.

·        A standard size 1930’s Sears and Roebuks Guitar (“The Juanita”, original number 12F609 originally sold for US $4.55)

The greedy old one eyed squirrel seeing what was inside each one, choose the heavier of the two, carried it off with her. But when she opened the basket to see what was inside, all sorts of hobgoblins and elves sprang out of it, and began to torment her by feeding her grapes relentlessly. 

Trails and Ales (Classic)

I endure the uncomfortable feeling of silence, openness, and emptiness. I let it speak to my soul. I listen... I watch... I realize that by seeking busywork, I'm really trying to avoid being with myself.

After a while -- usually quite short, if I'm sincere about it -- I start to feel myself more deeply. I merge with the surroundings, and a magical but also plain and simple feeling appears. It's hard to express in words; it's like I find my undefined and limitless being, which is like (or is) Nature itself.

Then wind blows and leaves rustle in my heart. The moon and the wolves are alive in me. Clear sky, cedar scent, the running of a brook, and slimy muck are all speaking with my voice.

Never doubt the wisdom that lies within your DNA. Never.  

I think the key is knowing or having faith that the emptiness is correct; it's not a mistake. The empty, boring, or lost feeling is just the surface of our true being, which is vast, boundless, and unreasonable. And Yet I still have trouble typing. I have never had to be so mechanistic when I am typing, and now I am having trouble. It's a weird thing the words are there but it's not completely fluent. I cant tell if it was always this way or if I have just started to notice it. I feel like I used to be able to type faster, with much less errors. Now I am warming up this feels better.

New home sweet home for a while...how is it a person can be excited out of their mind and scared shitless at the same time?

There's some discomfort as we shed our habitual craving to limit and define and hold onto things; but very soon, we can open up into a real magnificence.

It's like shedding 'small me' and re-embracing 'big me'.

a mountain of pumice

80.) Set foot on all continents
At fifteen he went to the capital with his uncle. At eighteen, he entered the national university. At the time, the university was designed for producing government officials and its curriculum was based on the traditional Chinese Confucian educational system.

81.) Go to the Parthenon

While in the capital, he was taught by a Buddhist monk named Gonso. He also received instructions for an esoteric Buddhist practice devoted to the Bodhisattva Kokuzo.
In 793, when he was twenty years old, he decided to enter the priesthood. He initially changed his name to Kyokai but later changed it to Nyoku. Finally, when he received full ordination as a priest, he took the name Kukai, which he kept for the remainder of his life.

82.) Celebrate Loi Krathong in Thailand

When he was twenty-four he wrote an essay called "Indications of the Three Teachings" (Sango shiiki), explaining his reasons for entering the priesthood. He told of his dissatisfaction with everyday life and his search for meaning. He described a life of wandering in the mountains, living on wild plants and sleeping where he could with only one thin robe to shelter him in winter. He also told of studying scriptures and practicing esoteric rituals such as the Morning Star Meditation of Kokuzo that he had learned in Kyoto.

83.) Go to the Ghibli Museum

His early Buddhist experience wasn't confined to the mountains. Much of his time he spent studying sutras at temples, but he wrote, "my mind was still not fulfilled. So it was that I beseeched with all my heart to the enlightened Buddhas in all directions and in the past, present and future, that the essence of the ultimate truth of non-duality be revealed to me."

84.) Eat at the Carnegie Deli in New York

As a result of his prayer, he went to Kumedera temple. There, in a small stupa, he discovered a copy of the scripture known as the Dainichi-kyo. Finally he had found a teaching that matched the experiential knowledge he had gained in his mountain meditations:

85.) Eat a hot dog in Chicago

"To be enlightened is simply to understand fully the true nature of your own mind. Understanding fully the true nature of your own mind is equal to understanding everything."

86.) Rent an apartment abroad for an extended period of time

He studied the sutra intensively, but found it difficult to understand. He couldn't find anyone in Japan who could explain certain parts of the sutra to his satisfaction, so he decided to travel to China, where the text had been translated from the original Sanskrit into the classical Chinese form common in Japan. In 804 he received official permission to study abroad.

87.) Volunteer abroad

He traveled to China in company with an official mission that included the Japanese ambassador. Within four months of his arrival at the Chinese capital, he was accepted as a student of the master of esoteric Buddhism, Hui-kuo. During the next eight months, Hui-kuo instructed Kukai in esoteric Buddhist theory and practice and gave him the religious name Henjo Kongo meaning "universally illuminating adamantine one." He then selected this young, thirty-two year old Japanese monk as his successor.

88.) Particpate in the WWOOFing program 

What is a Chevron?

Basically I have been listening to a lot of chillwave/glofi music recently (in particular Washed Out's newest album 'Within and Without'. I am really trying to get into the genre as an artist and have so much passion for the sound. 

The only problem is I seem to be doubting whether I am getting anywhere close to a good sound. I am currently listening to Toro Y Moi, Washed out, caribou, bonobo, com truise, neon indian, gold panda and Tycho.

heres a sample of some stuff I came up with just to practice my production techniques. I just want good, honest opinions about the sound and melodies.

The NSA is becoming a real threat to American Internet companies.

For those interested in pursuing Panama as a choice for a second passport there is an important clarification.
It is true that on paper Panama does not recognize dual citizenship and requires you to renounce your previous citizenship in order to be naturalized. However, this does not mean you have to really give up your existing citizenship.
The Panamanian nationality law requires an oath of renunciation of former citizenship as a condition of naturalization. However, currently the US court system interprets this oath as "non-meaningful" and therefore it will not result in the loss of US citizenship, unless the US citizen renounces their citizenship directly to the US State Department, which will then result in loss of US nationality.
That said, it is not necessary to renounce US citizenship to the US State Department to become naturalized in Panama.

Your ability to remain objective is directectly related to where you paycheck comes from

The significant body of research has been gathered in support of late selection in the perception of visual stimuli.

Following the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, Charles II of England rewarded eight persons on March 24, 1663, for their faithful support in his efforts to regain the throne of England. He granted the eight grantees, called Lords Proprietor, the land called Carolina, in honor of Charles I, his father. The Province of Carolina from 1663 to 1729, was a North American British colony. Around 1729, the Province of North Carolina became a separate entity from the Province of South Carolina.

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One of the popular ways of investigating late selection is to assess the priming properties (i.e. influencing subsequent acts) of unattended stimuli. Often used to demonstrate such effects is the stem completion task. While there exist a few variations, these studies generally consist of showing participants the first few letters of words, and asking them to complete the string of letters to form an English word.It has been demonstrated that observers are significantly more likely to complete word fragments with the unattended stimuli presented in a trial than with another similar word.This effect holds when stimuli are not words, but instead objects. When photos of objects are shown too quickly for participants to identify, subsequent presentation of those items lead to significantly faster identification in comparison to novel objects.

The increased deployment of nuclear power facilities must lead society toward authoritarianism. Indeed, safe reliance upon nuclear power as the principal source of energy may be possible only in a totalitarian state." Echoing the views of many proponents of appropri ate technology and the soft energy path, Hayes contends that "dispersed solar sources are more compatible than centralized technologies with social equity, freedom and cultural pluralism."

Philosophical Letters (1733) Voltaire
The Origin of Species (1859) Charles Darwin
On a Piece of Chalk (1868) Thomas Huxley
The Mysterious Universe (1930) James Jeans
The Birth and Death of the Sun (1940) George Gamow
The Character of Physical Law (1965) Richard Feynman
The Elegant Universe (1999) Brian Greene
The Selfish Gene (1976) Richard Dawkins
The Making of the Atomic Bomb (1986) Richard Rhodes
The Inflationary Universe (1997) Alan Guth
The Whole Shebang (1997) Timothy Ferris
Hiding in the Mirror (2005) Lawrence Krauss
Warped Passages (2005) Lisa Randall

Moab, UT Head east on E Center St toward S 100 E/S 1st E St 0.4 mi Turn right onto Fourth E St 0.6 mi Turn left onto Mulberry Ln 0.2 mi Turn left onto Mill Creek Parkway 0.2 mi Slight right to stay on Mill Creek Parkway 85 ft Turn right toward Lasal Rd 472 ft Continue onto Lasal Rd 0.2 mi Turn right onto E Mill Creek Dr 1.0 mi Continue onto S Spanish Valley Dr 6.6 mi Slight left onto Geyser Pass Rd/La Sal Loop Rd/La Sal Mountain Loop Rd/Steelbender Safari Rte 0.9 mi Turn right at Flat Pass Rd 0.1 mi Slight left 1.1 mi Turn right toward US-191 S 0.2 mi Turn left onto US-191 S 11.7 mi Turn left onto UT-46 E Entering Colorado 21.6 mi Continue onto CO-90 E 33.8 mi Turn right onto CO-141 S 6.1 mi Continue onto CO-145 S 15.3 mi Slight left onto CO-145 S/Grand Ave Continue to follow CO-145 S 17.2 mi Turn right to stay on CO-145 S 12.7 mi At the traffic circle, continue straight to stay on CO-145 S 2.9 mi At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit onto W Colorado Ave 0.6 mi Telluride, CO