[FairfieldLife] Most silent hard-drive?
The 300 G hard drive of my new PC is otherwise rather silent, but when it reads and writes, it makes quite an irritating sound. It's interesting that I only notice the sound when I do saMyama on it. Some reading and/or writing seems to be happening almost all the time, even when no application is running. Of course there are some 50 processes running, but checking the task manager doesn't seem to indicate, at least most of the time, other activity than the System Idle process. The drive is Seagate. I've been quite satisfied with most of my previous Seagates. For instance one 40 G Barracuda is so silent that the reading/writing is barely noticeable. I wonder if for instance a Western Digital is nowadays more silent than a Seagate.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Most silent hard-drive?
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, cardemaister [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The 300 G hard drive of my new PC is otherwise rather silent, but when it reads and writes, it makes quite an irritating sound. It's interesting that I only notice the sound when I do saMyama on it. Some reading and/or writing seems to be happening almost all the time, even when no application is running. Of course there are some 50 processes running, but checking the task manager doesn't seem to indicate, at least most of the time, other activity than the System Idle process. The drive is Seagate. I've been quite satisfied with most of my previous Seagates. For instance one 40 G Barracuda is so silent that the reading/writing is barely noticeable. I wonder if for instance a Western Digital is nowadays more silent than a Seagate. My only suggestion, given the realities of hardware construction, is to turn the sound into something else in your mind, something more pleasant. Back in the Rama daze, he would have non-poem evenings every so often in which students were asked to write a poem that caught some nice moment in their sadhana and read it aloud in front of the group of students. Because so many people had negative imprint- ing about poetry from their school days, they resisted this idea until Rama suggested that they be non-poems instead of poems, and turned it into a kind of fun Zen exercise. Here's one of mine, written after pulling an all-nighter in my offices in New York, and noticing that the sound of your environ- ment is what you make it, not what it first appears to be: 2 a.m. on Wall Street My hard disk hums along with a passing siren and becomes the low drone of chanting monks and long bronze horns calling me to prayer I sit for a moment, taken by the sound
[FairfieldLife] New position open in Vlodrop -- TM Movement Fool
In all seriousness, I think the thing that would most benefit the TM movement (and thus the world) is the creation of one job there in Vlodrop. The position would be to act as court fool to Maharishi. As captured so well in Shakespeare (probably more than in real life) the court fool was a really important figure in the royal courts of Europe. The job duties of the fool were simple -- TO TELL THE TRUTH. The fool was pretty much the only person in the court who could, and would, tell the king what was REALLY going on, and what his decisions had accomplished or failed to accomp- lish in the real world outside the palace. I suggest that there is a strong need for such a position within the TM movement. There could be no closer counter- part to the isolated, palace-bound monarch than Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. He hasn't left his rooms in...what?...decades. So his lofty plans and schemes for the world and how to improve its lot are of necessity flawed, based on faulty information about that world. Assuming that things have not changed since I was around him, Maharishi's news is heavily FILTERED. The flunkies he allows around him have learned over the years what he WANTS to hear, and they carefully filter out anything he *doesn't* want to hear. What is needed is someone who is EXEMPT, someone who is *allowed* to tell the truth to the monarch, without fear of losing his position...or his head...for doing so. Maharishi NEEDS a fool, someone to speak up and tell him when one of his schemes is based on unreality, on a vision of the world that has nothing to do with how things really are. In this case, the fool could have donned his cap and bells, cavorted gaily in front of Maharishi's throne (or, more likely, bed) and said, Y'know Maharishi...building a big university in Bumfuck, Kansas and declaring that 10,000 young, inspired meditators would come there and spend their days butt-bouncing for peace is an interesting idea, but YOU DON'T HAVE 10,000 YOUNG, INSPIRED MEDITATORS any more. You've driven almost all of the older meditators away, and those who are still around wouldn't allow their OWN kids to jeapordize their futures by attending a TM university in the middle of nowhere. You couldn't raise more than 1200 old, even somewhat inspired old farts to come and buttbounce for peace in Fairfield, a community that offers them a few things to do with themselves when they *weren't* butt-bouncing, even when you offered to pay them to come there. And now you expect *young* people to check themselves into basically a prison for a number of years for no other reason than because YOU WANT THEM TO? Get REAL, dude! Maharishi wouldn't *appreciate* hearing this news, of course, no more than King Lear appreciated some of the things *his* fool told him. But at least *someone* would be there to tell him the truth. Lear's fool came to a bad end for telling the truth, and the TM Movement Fool might suffer the same fate. But damn! someone should really TRY. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, dhamiltony2k5 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Dear Meditators, Citizen Sidhas, and Governors, On January 14th at 3:30 PM EST there will be a national conference call with all of the American Rajas and all of the Ministers of the Global Country of World Peace in Holland. The purpose of this call is to describe the plans to create a new university in the geographic center of the United Statesin the Brahmasthan of America, in Kansas. This university, called Central University, will offer the curriculum of Total Knowledge, the unified field, which will have a unifying effect on the whole country. There will be 200 students from each of the 50 statesa total of 10,000 students, all practicing the Transcendental Meditation and TM- Sidhi program together at the same time. This initiative is possible now that America is achieving invincibility through the almost 2000 Yogic Flyers in Maharishi Vedic City and Maharishi University of Management in Iowa. The goal is to have the construction of the buildings of Central University well underway by Guru Purnima in July of this year, parallel with the construction in the World Capital of Peace in the Brahmasthan of India for 16,000 Vedic Pandits. In the next few days we would like to reach all Meditators, Citizen Sidhas, and Governors, other well-wishers of peace, and educational foundations, to invest in, or donate to, the construction of Central University. We would like expressions of support from everyone interested and how much they would be interested in investing or donating. Each Raja has set up procedures for this, but potential supporters could express their interest also by sending an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or by calling 1-800-373-9664. To connect with the conference call tomorrow please dial 512-225-3019 and enter code 60345#. And please let us know any questions you might have in advance by contacting us at the
[FairfieldLife] Killing time: some random thoughts about (inflectional) cases
Again, mainly just from the top of my head; can't guarantee the accurateness of this information. Most modern Indo-European languages with a productive case system prolly have less than ten inflectional cases of nouns. Sanskrit has 7(8) of them: nominative, accusative, instrumental, dative, ablative, genitive, locative (and vocative: native grammarians consider vocative a special instance[?] of nominative). In Sanskrit the cases are called just by an ordinal number: prathamaa vibhakti, dvitiiyaa vibhakti, etc. (first case, second case...). That probably reflects the varied use of many of those cases. Calling them by functional names like instrumental , and stuff, gives a somewhat distorted view of their different uses. It seems like in time the case systems tend to give way to syntax that relies more on prepositions and/ or postposition to indicate the syntactic function of nouns and stuff in a sentence. For instance modern English only has one productive case left, namely possessive (= genitive). A couple of pronouns still have a separate form for objective (accusative), like 'him', 'them', 'me', 'her', 'whom'. I have a feeling that if a language has a case system like Sanskrit, Latin, Russian, German, and, from another family of languages, Finnish (15 cases) and Hungarian (18 cases?), all the elements of a noun phrase usually need to be inflected, which sometimes is rather clumsy, and feels like way redundant. As an example, adding (one of) the Sanskrit case endings, namely '-ena', for instrumental singular, into a sentence like The flow-job was given by a young beautiful blond Texan chick would result to (replacing the prepositon 'by' with '-ena'): The flow-job was given an-ena youngena beautifulena blondena texanena chickena. Instead of one 'by'-preposition one needs six '-ena'-suffixes!
[FairfieldLife] 'Caravanserai' live at the Alhambra
Following up yesterday's discussion of odd instruments and playing styles, Loreena McKennitt has a PBS special coming up in March, and has put up one video from that concert on her website: http://www.quinlanroad.com/newsandviews/currentupdates.asp?id=580 The setting is the Alhambra, in Granada, Spain. For those of you who appreciate world music and odd, wonderful instruments, this is a stage full of them! Musicians include Loreena regulars Hugh Marsh and Brian Hughes, plus a buncha folks (including Manu Katché on drums) from Peter Gabriel's Real World studios. Enjoy...
[FairfieldLife] Interesting theory(?) on autism
http://www.rdos.net/eng/asperger.htm
[FairfieldLife] Re: Cosmic Consciousness or Personality Disorder
Right. This is why I keep emphasizing that an experience of CC does not involve a sense of geographic location as being behind, over, or in front of the body. Witnessing does not give a sense of location of the Self as in the body or out of the body. On the other hand, mental illness or drug induced dislocation of the personality out of the body can be described as pathological as you've stated. I can understand the confusion since the term witnessing or flatness of experience could be interpreted as the pathology described in the article on Depersonalization but if you read the article carefully, you can only conclude that what is being spoken of is not what we experience in the practices of TM unless an individual is already prone to this state. If you were to ask where the self or sense of personality is located before CC, you would have to conclude that the I-ness seems to be located in the head just behind the eyes. This is where the habit of thinking takes place, seeing, hearing, etc. The habitual location of the small self seems to be in this location. As the Self becomes more generalized, this location becomes less and less pronounced but definitely not outside the body. People whose sense of self resides outside the body cannot meditate since one of the requirements for a successful TM experience is for all the bodies from the grossest to the most subtle, seven in all, must be perfectly aligned, one within the other. This is why people on drugs cannot meditate. Drugs, alcohol, anesthetics, etc., place the self or personality out of the body. I question this conclusion,. however. If you can think, you can meditate. I agree, this is the instruction: ' If you can think, you can meditate. But, I do remember Maharishi commenting on Krishnamurti's teachings, and claiming that(Krishnamurti), was in CC. And I agree, CC, can be a very flat, detatched experience; if you read any of Krishnamurti's work, or hear him speak; he's rather flat. I think. As far as being 'outside the body', this can occur from drugs and alcohol; What is called a 'black-out' in alcoholism, is nothing more than the soul leaving the body- as the body becomes polluted to the extent that the soul retreats from the body, and then open to other 'lower forces; I think most people, 'leave their body', when they fall asleep. Part of beginning to feel the 'Unity', I feel, is to begin to take responsiblity for everything which happens to you. Start to feel, that everything that happens,that you created it to be that way, or at least your soul did. And the more we can feel that there is no more us, or them, or anyone or anything that created anything for us that we didn't want or need; And start accepting the infinite potential which takes- letting go of any need to feel victimized or superior to anything... Then you have allowed for 'oneness', to 'be'. United we stand, divided we fall
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Cosmic Consciousness or Personality Disorder
On Jan 14, 2007, at 2:32 AM, sparaig wrote: I question this conclusion,. however. If you can think, you can meditate. Shouldn't that've read: If you can think, you *practice meditation* if you can *not think*, you can meditate?
[FairfieldLife] Re: Cosmic Consciousness or Personality Disorder
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On Jan 14, 2007, at 2:32 AM, sparaig wrote: I question this conclusion,. however. If you can think, you can meditate. Shouldn't that've read: If you can think, you *practice meditation* if you can *not think*, you can meditate? LOL. Nice one.
Re: [FairfieldLife] 'If Islamist Believe- Jesus Is A Prophet, Then...'
http://www.orgonelab.org/saharasia_en.htm On Jan 14, 2007, at 12:54 AM, Robert Gimbel wrote: How come they don't take any of his teachings seriously? And how come they are acting like a bunch of mad dogs? When they haven't even been drinking?
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: The newest, latest initiative
...nor shall we be in Kansas. The arbitrary placement of Brahmastans has nothing to do with liberation. - Original Message - From: bob_brigante [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, January 13, 2007 11:35 PM Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: The newest, latest initiative They'll have to buy a huge amount of surrounding property in order to have enough water rights for 10K people, even if you play along with this fantasy initiative. This part of Kansas is real dry, and you can't tap into the aquifer unless you have bought enough land to permit this. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, dhamiltony2k5 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Dear Meditators, Citizen Sidhas, and Governors, On January 14th at 3:30 PM EST there will be a national conference call with all of the American Rajas and all of the Ministers of the Global Country of World Peace in Holland. The purpose of this call is to describe the plans to create a new university in the geographic center of the United States-in the Brahmasthan of America, in Kansas. This university, called Central University, will offer the curriculum of Total Knowledge, the unified field, which will have a unifying effect on the whole country. There will be 200 students from each of the 50 states-a total of 10,000 students, all practicing the Transcendental Meditation and TM- Sidhi program together at the same time. This initiative is possible now that America is achieving invincibility through the almost 2000 Yogic Flyers in Maharishi Vedic City and Maharishi University of Management in Iowa. To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links
Re: [FairfieldLife] The Cure for Depersonalization is TM
Generally DP comes from trauma. In tantra peaceful deity practices allay the inner samsaras associated with indifference. Ganesha also very good. - Original Message - From: suziezuzie [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, January 14, 2007 12:26 AM Subject: [FairfieldLife] The Cure for Depersonalization is TM Note that the cure is underlined towards the end of the article. Mark -- Depersonalization disorder forumEncyclopedia of Mental Disorders :: Del-Fi Depersonalization disorder Ads by Google Sleep Disorder Quiz - Take this self-test to see if you suffer from insomnia. (ShutEye.com) Relieve Depersonalization - An ex-sufferer's comprehensive guide to dealing with DP (www.dpmanual.com) Relief from Allergies - Relieve Congestion Other Nasal Allergy Symptoms with Medication. (Nasal-Allergies.com) Definition Depersonalization is a state in which the individual ceases to perceive the reality of the self or the environment. The patient feels that his or her body is unreal, is changing, or is dissolving; or that he or she is outside of the body. Depersonalization disorder is classified by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, text Revision, also known as the DSM-IV-TR as one of the dissociative disorders. These are mental disorders in which the normally well-integrated functions of memory, identity, perception, and consciousness are separated (dissociated). The dissociative disorders are usually associated with trauma in the recent or distant past, or with an intense internal conflict that forces the mind to separate incompatible or unacceptable knowledge, information, or feelings. In depersonalization disorder, the patient's self-perception is disrupted. Patients feel as if they are external observers of their own lives, or that they are detached from their own bodies. Depersonalization disorder is sometimes called depersonalization neurosis. Depersonalization as a symptom may occur in panic disorder, borderline personality disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), acute stress disorder, or another dissociative disorder. The patient is not given the diagnosis of depersonalization disorder if the episodes of depersonalization occur only during panic attacks or following a traumatic stressor. The symptom of depersonalization can also occur in normal individuals under such circumstances as sleep deprivation, the use of certain anesthetics, experimental conditions in a laboratory (experiments involving weightlessness, for example), and emotionally stressful situations (such as taking an important academic examination or being in a traffic accident). One such example involves some of the rescue personnel from the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. These individuals experienced episodes of depersonalization after a day and a half without sleep. A more commonplace example is the use of nitrous oxide, or laughing gas as an anesthetic during oral surgery. Many dental patients report a sense of unreality or feeling of being outside their bodies during nitrous oxide administration. To further complicate the matter, depersonalization may be experienced in different ways by different individuals. Common descriptions include a feeling of being outside one's body; floating on the ceiling looking down at myself feeling as if one's body is dissolving or changing; feeling as if one is a machine or robot; unreal feeling that one is in a dream or that oneis on automatic pilot. Most patients report a sense of emotional detachment or uninvolvement, or a sense of emotional numbing. Depersonalization differs from derealization, which is a dissociative symptom in which people perceive the external world as unreal, dreamlike, or changing. The various ways that people experience depersonalization are related to their bodies or their sense of self. Depersonalization is a common experience in the general adult population. However, when a patient's symptoms of depersonalization are severe enough to cause significant emotional distress, or interfere with normal functioning, the criteria of the DSM-IV-TR for depersonalization disorder are met. Description A person suffering from depersonalization disorder experiences subjective symptoms of unreality that make him or her uneasy and anxious. Subjective is a word that refers to the thoughts and perceptions inside an individual's mind, as distinct from the objects of those thoughts and perceptions outside the mind. Because depersonalization is a subjective experience, many people who have chronic or recurrent episodes of depersonalization are afraid others will not understand if they try to describe what they are feeling, or will think they are crazy. As a result, depersonalization disorder may be underdiagnosed because the symptom of depersonalization is underreported. Causes and symptoms
Re: [FairfieldLife] 'If Islamist Believe- Jesus Is A Prophet, Then...'
Because they don't believe in proper knob polishing. - Original Message - From: Robert Gimbel To: fairfieldlife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, January 13, 2007 11:54 PM Subject: [FairfieldLife] 'If Islamist Believe- Jesus Is A Prophet, Then...' How come they don't take any of his teachings seriously? And how come they are acting like a bunch of mad dogs? When they haven't even been drinking? -- Looking for earth-friendly autos? Browse Top Cars by Green Rating at Yahoo! Autos' Green Center.
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: The newest, latest initiative
I wouldn't live there for $50,000 really and truely. - Original Message - From: TurquoiseB [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, January 14, 2007 1:43 AM Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: The newest, latest initiative --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, dhamiltony2k5 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Dear Meditators, Citizen Sidhas, and Governors, . . . There will be 200 students from each of the 50 states-a total of 10,000 students, all practicing the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program together at the same time. Still lost in fantasy -- If you build it they will come. They couldn't find 10,000 students to go to school and buttbounce in the middle of Bumfuck, Kansas if they paid them each 50K a year to do so. To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links
[FairfieldLife] Re: Most silent hard-drive?
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, cardemaister [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The 300 G hard drive of my new PC is otherwise rather silent, but when it reads and writes, it makes quite an irritating sound. It's interesting that I only notice the sound when I do saMyama on it. Some reading and/or writing seems to be happening almost all the time, even when no application is running. Of course there are some 50 processes running, but checking the task manager doesn't seem to indicate, at least most of the time, other activity than the System Idle process. The drive is Seagate. I've been quite satisfied with most of my previous Seagates. For instance one 40 G Barracuda is so silent that the reading/writing is barely noticeable. I wonder if for instance a Western Digital is nowadays more silent than a Seagate. The folks who built my system, http://www.endpcnoise.com/ , are always up on who has the quietest hard drives, and right now, they're selling Western Digital. They also sell hard drive enclosures, which may offer some relief for your current hard drive. Also, you could make an enclosure for the computer, itself. The stone guys just installed the granite on my new desk the other day, and it's amazing how much more quiet my already quiet computer is, now that the tower is inside a box with only one side open. http://alex.natel.net/misc/desk.jpg The computer is in the right side, and the back is completely open, so heat build-up should not be an issue. The quiet whirring of the cooling fans is now muffled and clearly only emanating from the rear of the desk. The desk is made of MDF, which is very dense and explains why it's so good at deadening the sound.
[FairfieldLife] 'Welcome to Kansas!'
There's no place like home. - Never miss an email again! Yahoo! Toolbar alerts you the instant new Mail arrives. Check it out.
[FairfieldLife] Drunks
I think half the people on here are drunks that post late at night when they are drunk, especially the anti-TM'rs seem to be half made up of drunks. You can tell by the way they speak, and they think they are cool to use curse words every post. Only teenagers and drunks think that's cool. (actually teenagers don't think its cool). I'm outta here, I'm not talking to a bunch of drunks anymore. You other TM'rs should consider this also, since you would not converse about enlightenment with a guy in the street who is slurring his speech and waving his arms with a strong smell of alcohol on his breath. OffWorld
[FairfieldLife] Re: 'Welcome to Kansas!'
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Robert Gimbel [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: There's no place like home. LOL. Reminded me of a photo of myself on one of my Road Trips, standing beside Protector the War Lexus under a relevant road sign: http://ramalila.net/RoadTripMind/pics/noplannoclue/NoPlanNoClue.jpg
[FairfieldLife] Re: Drunks
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, off_world_beings [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I think half the people on here are drunks that post late at night when they are drunk, especially the anti-TM'rs seem to be half made up of drunks. You can tell by the way they speak, and they think they are cool to use curse words every post. Only teenagers and drunks think that's cool. (actually teenagers don't think its cool). I'm outta here, I'm not talking to a bunch of drunks anymore. Hoping you don't talk in your sleep. Or, if you do, hoping that you aren't witnessing enough to listen.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Drunks
I think half the people on here are drunks that post late at night when they are drunk, especially the anti-TM'rs seem to be half made up of drunks. You can tell by the way they speak, and they think they are cool to use curse words every post. Only teenagers and drunks think that's cool. (actually teenagers don't think its cool). I'm outta here, I'm not talking to a bunch of drunks anymore. TurquoiseB wrote: Hoping you don't talk in your sleep. Or, if you do, hoping that you aren't witnessing enough to listen. You're up late! Maybe you should get some sleep yourself.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Drunks
off_world_beings wrote: I think half the people on here are drunks that post late at night when they are drunk, especially the anti-TM'rs seem to be half made up of drunks. So, you think that half of the respondents on this forum are drunk when they post their anti-TM'r messages and so you're out of here because the people are drunk when they post. I was out of here too, on several occasions, because I thought that all the people posting here were on something, but the only person I thought was a drunk had already addmited as much. Go figure. I always thought most of the people posting here were either drug addicts or reformed drug addicts. Fer sure some are getting high on something - either seratonin on the brain or soma in the gut, or in some cases, just plain old religious ecstasy. This isn't surprising considering that the Marshy probably has more potions in his cupboard than Carter had little liver pills. You can tell by the way they speak, and they think they are cool to use curse words every post. Only teenagers and drunks think that's cool. (actually teenagers don't think its cool). It's supposed to be a family forum but I told my son that she probably wouldn't want her daughter reading the porn here. One informer who apparently is living in France, does tend to cuss a lot and posts here late at night - almost all his messages are from 12:00 - 3:00 AM on Saturday nights. Some people just feel better when they have someone to talk to, I guess. I'm outta here, I'm not talking to a bunch of drunks anymore. Good luck! You other TM'rs should consider this also, since you would not converse about enlightenment with a guy in the street who is slurring his speech and waving his arms with a strong smell of alcohol on his breath. What about at a football game?
[FairfieldLife] Re: Drunks
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Richard J. Williams [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: One informer who apparently is living in France, does tend to cuss a lot... Absolutely true. I find it's useful for pinpointing the people I wouldn't want to waste my time with. :-) ...and posts here late at night - almost all his messages are from 12:00 - 3:00 AM on Saturday nights. Absolutely not true. Willy's from Texas, where they seem incapable of knowing that there are time zones other than their own. Most of my posts are made during breakfast my time, something to do over coffee and a croissant. Willy and Off may still be drunk at that hour, but I am most assuredly not. :-)
[FairfieldLife] Re: Watch the way this guy plays guitar.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, cardemaister [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: snip Well, in my understanding the main criterion of Asperger's is poor social skills. That's also the most frustrating feature of my character, for myself at least. For instance when I listen to e.g. four or five people conversing during a family celebration, I feel totally outsider, because I can't follow the conversation. Almost like listening to a totally foreign language. People are laughing at what someone just said, I have no idea whatsoever what they are laughing at. And stuff like that. I'm not sure this is a problem of poor social skills, though. Is it possible that it's social *anxiety* that interferes with your ability to focus on what people are saying? One might think that's weird, but my possible linguistic talent is IMO confined primarily to analyzing linguistic structures. My ability to understand spoken language seems to be way below average. Again, though, I'm not sure that has anything to do with Asperger's per se. It sounds more like a sort of audio-dyslexia. Goodness knows your ability with *written* language is way above average! In any case, since I know you only via how and what you write, I don't really have anything useful to offer. All I can say is, over the years I've gotten the distinct impression that you worry about yourself too much--and I should think that anxiety could very well interfere with your live social interactions. You do just fine when you interact with others in written form on this kind of forum, so it isn't that you're lacking in the ability to interact. snip But that (understanding spoken language) might have improved a bit lately. Namely, when I listen to the lyrics of some favourite songs from my youth, I notice I now understand the contents of those lyrics somewhat better than I used to. :0 I have *always* had great difficulty understanding sung lyrics. Even when the lyrics are very clear, I have trouble paying attention to them. Oddly enough, I'll find that I've automatically memorized the lyrics to songs with which I'm very familiar, but unless I make a great effort to divorce them from the music and contemplate them on their own terms, in my mind the lyrics are just sounds--like scat-singing--not meaningful words.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Watch the way this guy plays guitar.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, cardemaister no_reply@ wrote: But that (understanding spoken language) might have improved a bit lately. Namely, when I listen to the lyrics of some favourite songs from my youth, I notice I now understand the contents of those lyrics somewhat better than I used to. :0 I have *always* had great difficulty understanding sung lyrics. Even when the lyrics are very clear, I have trouble paying attention to them. Oddly enough, I'll find that I've automatically memorized the lyrics to songs with which I'm very familiar, but unless I make a great effort to divorce them from the music and contemplate them on their own terms, in my mind the lyrics are just sounds--like scat-singing--not meaningful words. I'm replying because this is a subject of some interest to me. I've found that *many* people cannot hear the lyrics of songs. I've always been able to, and the lyrics of songs have in fact always been a major influence in my life. I'm not sure what the issue is, whether it's systemic or a matter of conditioning. But there seems little question that some people can't hear the lyrics of song *as language* and as having content, no matter how long they sit and listen to them. I've watched friends *try* to hear song lyrics, and fail completely. Odd.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Drunks
One informer who apparently is living in France, does tend to cuss a lot... TurquoiseB wrote: Absolutely true. I find it's useful for pinpointing the people I wouldn't want to waste my time with. :-) You mean the cussing pin-points anyone you would want to waste time with? Which one, Judy? :-) ...and posts here late at night - almost all his messages are from 12:00 - 3:00 AM on Saturday nights. Absolutely not true. Willy's from Texas, where they seem incapable of knowing that there are time zones other than their own. Most of my posts are made during breakfast my time, something to do over coffee and a croissant. Willy and Off may still be drunk at that hour, but I am most assuredly not. :-) It's all about Willy, insn't it? So, why wouldn't you want to post on Saturaday nights when you're drunk? I mean, what have you got to do that would be so important that you'd want to wait until Sunday morning to tell us about it, when you're on caffiene and carbs and boring?
RE: [FairfieldLife] New position open in Vlodrop -- TM Movement Fool
_ From: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of TurquoiseB Sent: Sunday, January 14, 2007 3:06 AM To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Subject: [FairfieldLife] New position open in Vlodrop -- TM Movement Fool In all seriousness, I think the thing that would most benefit the TM movement (and thus the world) is the creation of one job there in Vlodrop. The position would be to act as court fool to Maharishi. As captured so well in Shakespeare (probably more than in real life) the court fool was a really important figure in the royal courts of Europe. The job duties of the fool were simple -- TO TELL THE TRUTH. The fool was pretty much the only person in the court who could, and would, tell the king what was REALLY going on, and what his decisions had accomplished or failed to accomp- lish in the real world outside the palace. Several people have played this role over the years. Most notably Vernon Katz, in my experience. But they're only tolerated up to a point, and often ignored. But Maharishi did respect Vernon for speaking his mind intelligently. I think Charlie Lutes often did the same, and maybe sometimes Jerry Jarvis. But that was in the early days. Such people are long gone.
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Drunks
TurquoiseB wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Richard J. Williams [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: One informer who apparently is living in France, does tend to cuss a lot... Absolutely true. I find it's useful for pinpointing the people I wouldn't want to waste my time with. :-) ...and posts here late at night - almost all his messages are from 12:00 - 3:00 AM on Saturday nights. Absolutely not true. Willy's from Texas, where they seem incapable of knowing that there are time zones other than their own. Most of my posts are made during breakfast my time, something to do over coffee and a croissant. Willy and Off may still be drunk at that hour, but I am most assuredly not. :-) You should see the weird looks I get at Starbucks sometimes when I order a (sorta) croissant with (sorta) cream cheese. I tell them that's the way the French eat 'em. Some of the kids that work there tried them that way and got hooked. Now if the croissant were made with real butter and cream cheese as good as what you get in France it would really be something. A real showstopper is if the manager fails to keep 'regular' cream cheese in stock and all they have is 'light' which is awful.
Re: [FairfieldLife] Drunks
off_world_beings wrote: I think half the people on here are drunks that post late at night when they are drunk, especially the anti-TM'rs seem to be half made up of drunks. You can tell by the way they speak, and they think they are cool to use curse words every post. Only teenagers and drunks think that's cool. (actually teenagers don't think its cool). I'm outta here, I'm not talking to a bunch of drunks anymore. You other TM'rs should consider this also, since you would not converse about enlightenment with a guy in the street who is slurring his speech and waving his arms with a strong smell of alcohol on his breath. OffWorld Enlightened folks only witness the effect of alcohol, they are never actually drunk. :)
[FairfieldLife] Re: Drunks
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Enlightened folks only witness the effect of alcohol, they are never actually drunk. :) There is actually historical evidence of this. The Sixth Dalai Lama, a bit of a Tantric, used to sneak out of the Potala at night and go down to the red light district of Shol-town and drink and carouse. There are historical incidents of him drinking everyone in a tavern under the table, matching them drink for drink, and then standing up and creating one of his famous poems. These song poems were created spontaneously, yet they are so perfect that they have endured and been sung by the people of Tibet to this day. Padmasambhava reputedly had the same siddhi. :-)
[FairfieldLife] Re: Drunks
Absolutely not true. Willy's from Texas, where they seem incapable of knowing that there are time zones other than their own. Most of my posts are made during breakfast my time, something to do over coffee and a croissant. Willy and Off may still be drunk at that hour, but I am most assuredly not. :-) Bhairitu wrote: You should see the weird looks I get at Starbucks sometimes when I order a (sorta) croissant with (sorta) cream cheese. Late at night when you're posting? Go figure. I tell them that's the way the French eat 'em. Some of the kids that work there tried them that way and got hooked. Now if the croissant were made with real butter and cream cheese as good as what you get in France it would really be something. A real showstopper is if the manager fails to keep 'regular' cream cheese in stock and all they have is 'light' which is awful.
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Drunks
Richard J. Williams wrote: Absolutely not true. Willy's from Texas, where they seem incapable of knowing that there are time zones other than their own. Most of my posts are made during breakfast my time, something to do over coffee and a croissant. Willy and Off may still be drunk at that hour, but I am most assuredly not. :-) Bhairitu wrote: You should see the weird looks I get at Starbucks sometimes when I order a (sorta) croissant with (sorta) cream cheese. Late at night when you're posting? Go figure. No, in the morning when you're still hungover during your Texas lunch. I tell them that's the way the French eat 'em. Some of the kids that work there tried them that way and got hooked. Now if the croissant were made with real butter and cream cheese as good as what you get in France it would really be something. A real showstopper is if the manager fails to keep 'regular' cream cheese in stock and all they have is 'light' which is awful.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Watch the way this guy plays guitar.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, cardemaister no_reply@ wrote: But that (understanding spoken language) might have improved a bit lately. Namely, when I listen to the lyrics of some favourite songs from my youth, I notice I now understand the contents of those lyrics somewhat better than I used to. :0 I have *always* had great difficulty understanding sung lyrics. Even when the lyrics are very clear, I have trouble paying attention to them. Oddly enough, I'll find that I've automatically memorized the lyrics to songs with which I'm very familiar, but unless I make a great effort to divorce them from the music and contemplate them on their own terms, in my mind the lyrics are just sounds--like scat-singing--not meaningful words. I'm replying because this is a subject of some interest to me. I've found that *many* people cannot hear the lyrics of songs. I've always been able to, and the lyrics of songs have in fact always been a major influence in my life. I'm not sure what the issue is, whether it's systemic or a matter of conditioning. But there seems little question that some people can't hear the lyrics of song *as language* and as having content, no matter how long they sit and listen to them. I've watched friends *try* to hear song lyrics, and fail completely. Odd. Not sure what kind of conditioning it could be. I suspect in my case it's that music tends to completely monopolize my attention; my brain just finds it inherently more significant than words. There may be one element of conditioning, though, in that when I *do* manage to really pay attention to lyrics, in far too many cases it turns out that they don't seem to have been worth my attention in the first place.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Drunks
Late at night when you're posting? Go figure. Bhairitu wrote: No, in the morning when you're still hungover during your Texas lunch. Apparently you don't understand time zones either. So, exactly, when is it that you get drunk and post, morning or evening? The other Barry said he posts in the morning, but it's night-time over there now. What's up with him posting now?
[FairfieldLife] Re: The newest, latest initiative
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, llundrub [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I wouldn't live there for $50,000 really and truely. - Original Message - From: TurquoiseB [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, January 14, 2007 1:43 AM Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: The newest, latest initiative --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, dhamiltony2k5 dhamiltony2k5@ wrote: Dear Meditators, Citizen Sidhas, and Governors, . . . There will be 200 students from each of the 50 states-a total of 10,000 students, all practicing the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program together at the same time. Still lost in fantasy -- If you build it they will come. They couldn't find 10,000 students to go to school and buttbounce in the middle of Bumfuck, Kansas if they paid them each 50K a year to do so. My son wanted to go.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Cosmic Consciousness or Personality Disorder
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On Jan 14, 2007, at 2:32 AM, sparaig wrote: I question this conclusion,. however. If you can think, you can meditate. Shouldn't that've read: If you can think, you *practice meditation* if you can *not think*, you can meditate? Er, no. People go for years and decades (or their entire lives) without transcending, and yet they show much the same physiological changes in their brain.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Watch the way this guy plays guitar.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, cardemaister no_reply@ wrote: But that (understanding spoken language) might have improved a bit lately. Namely, when I listen to the lyrics of some favourite songs from my youth, I notice I now understand the contents of those lyrics somewhat better than I used to. :0 I have *always* had great difficulty understanding sung lyrics. Even when the lyrics are very clear, I have trouble paying attention to them. Oddly enough, I'll find that I've automatically memorized the lyrics to songs with which I'm very familiar, but unless I make a great effort to divorce them from the music and contemplate them on their own terms, in my mind the lyrics are just sounds--like scat-singing--not meaningful words. I'm replying because this is a subject of some interest to me. I've found that *many* people cannot hear the lyrics of songs. I've always been able to, and the lyrics of songs have in fact always been a major influence in my life. I'm not sure what the issue is, whether it's systemic or a matter of conditioning. But there seems little question that some people can't hear the lyrics of song *as language* and as having content, no matter how long they sit and listen to them. I've watched friends *try* to hear song lyrics, and fail completely. Odd. Different brains are wired slightly differently.
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Drunks
See Socrates (i.e. Plato's dialogue Symposium). And nobody could give a lecture on enlightenment drunk like Alan Watts (Ted Solomon, Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at Iowa State, has a great story about this). And then there's the king of all recent spiritual alcoholics (unless you count Charlie Bukowski), Chogyam Trungpa . . . Unfortunately, however, these gents died too soon, as Nietzsche used like to to say. P.S. David Lynch says Bukowski liked TM because it helped him to enjoy drinking more. TurquoiseB [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Enlightened folks only witness the effect of alcohol, they are never actually drunk. :) There is actually historical evidence of this. The Sixth Dalai Lama, a bit of a Tantric, used to sneak out of the Potala at night and go down to the red light district of Shol-town and drink and carouse. There are historical incidents of him drinking everyone in a tavern under the table, matching them drink for drink, and then standing up and creating one of his famous poems. These song poems were created spontaneously, yet they are so perfect that they have endured and been sung by the people of Tibet to this day. Padmasambhava reputedly had the same siddhi. :-) - Get your own web address. Have a HUGE year through Yahoo! Small Business.
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Newest latest initiative
Dear Meditators, Citizen Sidhas, and Governors, If you pledged in the past to support the Vedic Pandits when they arrived in Maharishi Vedic City or if you would like to contribute to completing the campus now, please go to either Global Country of World Peace or Maharishi Vedic City. On January 14th at 3:30 PM EST there will be a national conference call with all of the American Rajas and all of the Ministers of the Global Country of World Peace in Holland. The purpose of this call is to describe the plans to create a new university in the geographic center of the United Statesin the Brahmasthan of America, in Kansas. This university, called Central University, will offer the curriculum of Total Knowledge, the unified field, which will have a unifying effect on the whole country. There will be 200 students from each of the 50 statesa total of 10,000 students, all practicing the Transcendental Meditation and TM- Sidhi program together at the same time. This initiative is possible now that America is achieving invincibility through the almost 2000 Yogic Flyers in Maharishi Vedic City and Maharishi University of Management in Iowa. The goal is to have the construction of the buildings of Central University well underway by Guru Purnima in July of this year, parallel with the construction in the World Capital of Peace in the Brahmasthan of India for 16,000 Vedic Pandits. In the next few days we would like to reach all Meditators, Citizen Sidhas, and Governors, other well-wishers of peace, and educational foundations, to invest in, or donate to, the construction of Central University. We would like expressions of support from everyone interested and how much they would be interested in investing or donating. Each Raja has set up procedures for this, but potential supporters could express their interest also by sending an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or by calling 1-800-373-9664. To connect with the conference call tomorrow please dial 512-225- 3019 and enter code 60345#. And please let us know any questions you might have in advance by contacting us at the email or phone number above. Jai Guru Dev. Raja Dean Raja of Washington Raja Wynne Raja of Maharishi Vedic America
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Cosmic Consciousness or Personality Disorder
Historically speaking, the christological position you are proposing - that Jesus didn't suffer - is, after all, X'n heresy (in fact in the interview you have quoted the Abbot of Downside points this out to Maharishi). As for what happened to Jesus' after he died, there's a huge debate in the mainline ecumenical X'n camp still going on about that. bob_brigante [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Jonathan Chadwick [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Ultimately, when Cosmic Consciousness is gained, and one is a witness to creation all the time and permanently, even the death of the body, ordinarily an overwhelming experience, has no meaning. This is alot of nonsense. If Jesus and Gurdjieff had a hard time with it, good luck. ** Jesus did not suffer, although it looked that way from the perspective of suffering humans: Maharishi Mahesh Yogi commented, It's a pity that Christ is talked of in terms of suffering those who count upon the suffering, it is a wrong interpretation of the life of Christ and the message of Christ How could suffering be associated with the One who has been all joy, all bliss, who claims all that? It's only the misunderstanding of the life of Christ. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Meditations of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, pp. 123- 124 * Maharishi: Jesus never suffered and those who saw him suffering saw him from their own level of suffering. . . so they could not see anything except suffering in him. Question: Is not the Cross a symbol of suffering? Maharishi: No, the Cross does not represent suffering and it is not meant to. On the other hand, it is the symbol for eternal life. It represents cosmic existence, fullness of life. . . a life of all bliss, wisdom, creativity. (Meditation by His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi with Questions and Answers, International SRM Publications, London 1967, page 140 ff.) ** Anyway, if Jesus arose from the dead after three days and walked around with his disciples, then obviously He was not overwhelmed by death. - 8:00? 8:25? 8:40? Find a flick in no time with theYahoo! Search movie showtime shortcut.
Re: [FairfieldLife] 'Is Iran- Really Germany of 1938?'
We need to remind Bush this is not a dictatorship! http://www.rawstory.com/news/2007/Bush_tells_60_Minutes_no_matter_0113.html Perhaps Monday morning folks ought to go to their HR department and bump their exemptions for taxes. We could stop this war overnight by bankrupting the government. No funds, no war. Robert Gimbel wrote: I don't think so! For one thing, the people of Iran are not behind this leader; The young people and the woman want a change. They said so in the last election there. They are in the very same political situation as the US. With a large majority of the population against their government. They don't want to be ruled by the Mullahs anymore... The only real way 'forward' in Iraq, is to get Iran as an ally. That is the only way. To use every strategy to allow the Iranian people to rise up- Against their suicidal government- and avoid what the Germans- Eventually went through, in their suicidal regime of 1938 - Access over 1 million songs - Yahoo! Music Unlimited.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Drunks
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Richard J. Williams willytex@ wrote: One informer who apparently is living in France, does tend to cuss a lot... Absolutely true. I find it's useful for pinpointing the people I wouldn't want to waste my time with. :-) ...and posts here late at night - almost all his messages are from 12:00 - 3:00 AM on Saturday nights. Absolutely not true. Willy's from Texas, where they seem incapable of knowing that there are time zones other than their own. Most of my posts are made during breakfast my time, something to do over coffee and a croissant. Willy and Off may still be drunk at that hour, but I am most assuredly not. :-) Good insults. Good Experiences. Both get the job done, of making for enjoyabale reading. Don't get me wrong, I am trying to enable the ancient feuds here. But now and again, insults are fun, especially when it is implied insult rather than out and out name calling. lurk
Re: [FairfieldLife] Drunks
Nobody wanted your stupid ass here in the first place you fucking moron. - Original Message - From: off_world_beings [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, January 14, 2007 9:17 AM Subject: [FairfieldLife] Drunks I think half the people on here are drunks that post late at night when they are drunk, especially the anti-TM'rs seem to be half made up of drunks. You can tell by the way they speak, and they think they are cool to use curse words every post. Only teenagers and drunks think that's cool. (actually teenagers don't think its cool). I'm outta here, I'm not talking to a bunch of drunks anymore. You other TM'rs should consider this also, since you would not converse about enlightenment with a guy in the street who is slurring his speech and waving his arms with a strong smell of alcohol on his breath. OffWorld To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Drunks
There's the Guru Rinpoche story about him not paying for all his drinks until the sun crossed the sky so he made the sun stand still until the king himself showed up to pay his bartab. - Original Message - From: TurquoiseB [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, January 14, 2007 12:10 PM Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Drunks --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Enlightened folks only witness the effect of alcohol, they are never actually drunk. :) There is actually historical evidence of this. The Sixth Dalai Lama, a bit of a Tantric, used to sneak out of the Potala at night and go down to the red light district of Shol-town and drink and carouse. There are historical incidents of him drinking everyone in a tavern under the table, matching them drink for drink, and then standing up and creating one of his famous poems. These song poems were created spontaneously, yet they are so perfect that they have endured and been sung by the people of Tibet to this day. Padmasambhava reputedly had the same siddhi. :-) To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Drunks
On Jan 14, 2007, at 2:55 PM, lurkernomore20002000 wrote: Good insults. Good Experiences. Both get the job done, of making for enjoyabale reading. Don't get me wrong, I am trying to enable the ancient feuds here. Freudian slip, Lurk? :) But now and again, insults are fun, especially when it is implied insult rather than out and out name calling.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Watch the way this guy plays guitar.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_reply@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, cardemaister no_reply@ wrote: But that (understanding spoken language) might have improved a bit lately. Namely, when I listen to the lyrics of some favourite songs from my youth, I notice I now understand the contents of those lyrics somewhat better than I used to. :0 I have *always* had great difficulty understanding sung lyrics. Even when the lyrics are very clear, I have trouble paying attention to them. Oddly enough, I'll find that I've automatically memorized the lyrics to songs with which I'm very familiar, but unless I make a great effort to divorce them from the music and contemplate them on their own terms, in my mind the lyrics are just sounds--like scat-singing--not meaningful words. I'm replying because this is a subject of some interest to me. I've found that *many* people cannot hear the lyrics of songs. I've always been able to, and the lyrics of songs have in fact always been a major influence in my life. I'm not sure what the issue is, whether it's systemic or a matter of conditioning. But there seems little question that some people can't hear the lyrics of song *as language* and as having content, no matter how long they sit and listen to them. I've watched friends *try* to hear song lyrics, and fail completely. Odd. Not sure what kind of conditioning it could be. I suspect in my case it's that music tends to completely monopolize my attention; my brain just finds it inherently more significant than words. There may be one element of conditioning, though, in that when I *do* manage to really pay attention to lyrics, in far too many cases it turns out that they don't seem to have been worth my attention in the first place. That's interesting, but hardly surprising. I learned long ago that basically there were two kinds of people -- those who could hear lyrics and those who cannot. I also learned very early never to bother with women who cannot. If they can't hear and appreciate the lyrics to songs, it's never going to work out between us, so it's better not to get involved in the first place. Turning a potential love interest on to my favorite singer/songwriters is kind of a litmus test for me as to whether to pursue things. And my test has never failed me. I think it's a systemic or genetic thang; some people descend from bards and some do not and I resonate better with those who do.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Watch the way this guy plays guitar.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, cardemaister no_reply@ wrote: snip Well, in my understanding the main criterion of Asperger's is poor social skills. That's also the most frustrating feature of my character, for myself at least. For instance when I listen to e.g. four or five people conversing during a family celebration, I feel totally outsider, because I can't follow the conversation. Almost like listening to a totally foreign language. People are laughing at what someone just said, I have no idea whatsoever what they are laughing at. And stuff like that. I'm not sure this is a problem of poor social skills, though. Is it possible that it's social *anxiety* that interferes with your ability to focus on what people are saying? One might think that's weird, but my possible linguistic talent is IMO confined primarily to analyzing linguistic structures. My ability to understand spoken language seems to be way below average. Again, though, I'm not sure that has anything to do with Asperger's per se. It sounds more like a sort of audio-dyslexia. Goodness knows your ability with *written* language is way above average! Why, thanks! I think that's because time is not a crucial factor when one is writing. It's really weird that sometimes I feel it's easier for me to write in English than in my own language. It's no wonder English is so popular all over the world. I don't recall ever seriously having studied English, but if I had to try to write something in Sanskrit, which I've tried to learn much more than English, that would remain a hopeless attempt, I'm afraid. In any case, since I know you only via how and what you write, I don't really have anything useful to offer. All I can say is, over the years I've gotten the distinct impression that you worry about yourself too much--and I should think that anxiety could very well interfere with your live social interactions. That might well be true. I can recall that during my siddhis flying block, or whatever, eating with over a hundred other people was most of the time really mentally painful, but during the last days, when I think most people started hopping, the atmosphere somehow softened, and I occasionally enjoyed eating ice-cream with a couple of other participants. A couple of years back an AV-consultant told me that my basic health is good, but something (obviously extremely traumatic) has happened at some point of my life. I recently realized what that might have been, but I don't have any kind of recollection of that incident. My mother is dead, so I can't ask her about the details of that probably quite a traumatic event. But that might explain why over the years especially women have asked me what I'm afraid of. I'm not usually even very clearly aware that I'm afraid of them. After my siddhis course when I did the program regularly at home, I noticed that babies started to smile at me. One totally stranger even called me father on the street! So, I don't know what might have happened if I'd continued to do the siddhis regularly, but the negative consequencies were so annoying that I lost my motivation to do them. I felt that my karma started to ripen too fast, or something.
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Cosmic Consciousness or Personality Disorder
On Jan 14, 2007, at 1:50 PM, sparaig wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On Jan 14, 2007, at 2:32 AM, sparaig wrote: I question this conclusion,. however. If you can think, you can meditate. Shouldn't that've read: If you can think, you *practice meditation* if you can *not think*, you can meditate? Er, no. People go for years and decades (or their entire lives) without transcending, and yet they show much the same physiological changes in their brain. Er, yes. Of course you notice the same changes--they're still cogitating a mantra! But they have failed in their meditation practice. They require more skillful means.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Cosmic Consciousness or Personality Disorder
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On Jan 14, 2007, at 1:50 PM, sparaig wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj vajranatha@ wrote: On Jan 14, 2007, at 2:32 AM, sparaig wrote: I question this conclusion,. however. If you can think, you can meditate. Shouldn't that've read: If you can think, you *practice meditation* if you can *not think*, you can meditate? Er, no. People go for years and decades (or their entire lives) without transcending, and yet they show much the same physiological changes in their brain. Er, yes. Of course you notice the same changes--they're still cogitating a mantra! But they have failed in their meditation practice. They require more skillful means. It all depends on your definition for what meditation is. If you define it as encompassing all the stages of sitting and thinking, leading up to and including samadhi, then TM is meditation. If you define it as the periods of samadhi and weight the benefits as coming primarily from those periods, then some other techniques may provide a more skillful means.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Watch the way this guy plays guitar.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_reply@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, cardemaister no_reply@ wrote: But that (understanding spoken language) might have improved a bit lately. Namely, when I listen to the lyrics of some favourite songs from my youth, I notice I now understand the contents of those lyrics somewhat better than I used to. :0 I have *always* had great difficulty understanding sung lyrics. Even when the lyrics are very clear, I have trouble paying attention to them. Oddly enough, I'll find that I've automatically memorized the lyrics to songs with which I'm very familiar, but unless I make a great effort to divorce them from the music and contemplate them on their own terms, in my mind the lyrics are just sounds--like scat-singing--not meaningful words. I'm replying because this is a subject of some interest to me. I've found that *many* people cannot hear the lyrics of songs. I've always been able to, and the lyrics of songs have in fact always been a major influence in my life. I'm not sure what the issue is, whether it's systemic or a matter of conditioning. But there seems little question that some people can't hear the lyrics of song *as language* and as having content, no matter how long they sit and listen to them. I've watched friends *try* to hear song lyrics, and fail completely. Odd. Not sure what kind of conditioning it could be. I suspect in my case it's that music tends to completely monopolize my attention; my brain just finds it inherently more significant than words. There may be one element of conditioning, though, in that when I *do* manage to really pay attention to lyrics, in far too many cases it turns out that they don't seem to have been worth my attention in the first place. That's interesting, but hardly surprising. I learned long ago that basically there were two kinds of people -- those who could hear lyrics and those who cannot. I also learned very early never to bother with women who cannot. If they can't hear and appreciate the lyrics to songs, it's never going to work out between us, so it's better not to get involved in the first place. Turning a potential love interest on to my favorite singer/songwriters is kind of a litmus test for me as to whether to pursue things. And my test has never failed me. I think it's a systemic or genetic thang; some people descend from bards and some do not and I resonate better with those who do. Or maybe you've got it reversed. Maybe the descendants of the bards are those who can tell the difference between bad poetry and good poetry and simply have no interest in the former.
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Cosmic Consciousness or Personality Disorder
On Jan 14, 2007, at 5:56 PM, TurquoiseB wrote: It all depends on your definition for what meditation is. If you define it as encompassing all the stages of sitting and thinking, leading up to and including samadhi, then TM is meditation. Even if they never transcend?
[FairfieldLife] Llundrub : Nobody wanted your stupid ass here in the first place you fucking m
Rick, please ask this drug addict to leave. This is just not on. OffWorld --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, llundrub [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Nobody wanted your stupid ass here in the first place you fucking moron. - Original Message - From: off_world_beings [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, January 14, 2007 9:17 AM Subject: [FairfieldLife] Drunks I think half the people on here are drunks that post late at night when they are drunk, especially the anti-TM'rs seem to be half made up of drunks. You can tell by the way they speak, and they think they are cool to use curse words every post. Only teenagers and drunks think that's cool. (actually teenagers don't think its cool). I'm outta here, I'm not talking to a bunch of drunks anymore. You other TM'rs should consider this also, since you would not converse about enlightenment with a guy in the street who is slurring his speech and waving his arms with a strong smell of alcohol on his breath. OffWorld To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links
[FairfieldLife] Re: Watch the way this guy plays guitar.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Not sure what kind of conditioning it could be. I suspect in my case it's that music tends to completely monopolize my attention; my brain just finds it inherently more significant than words. There may be one element of conditioning, though, in that when I *do* manage to really pay attention to lyrics, in far too many cases it turns out that they don't seem to have been worth my attention in the first place. Just FYI, if one felt that way, and as a result never paid attention to the words of songs by, say, Loreena McKennitt, one would have missed lyrics written by Tennyson, Yeats, St. John of the Cross, Sir Walter Scott, Shakespeare, Rumi, Homer and Dante. But none of those guys are probably worth your attention. :-)
[FairfieldLife] Re: Watch the way this guy plays guitar.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, cardemaister [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@ wrote: snip Goodness knows your ability with *written* language is way above average! Why, thanks! I think that's because time is not a crucial factor when one is writing. It's really weird that sometimes I feel it's easier for me to write in English than in my own language. You know, when I wrote that, I had completely forgotten that English wasn't your native language. That's how good your written English is. It's no wonder English is so popular all over the world. I don't recall ever seriously having studied English, but if I had to try to write something in Sanskrit, which I've tried to learn much more than English, that would remain a hopeless attempt, I'm afraid. I have the impression that Sanskrit is vastly more complex than English, so that wouldn't be surprising. In any case, since I know you only via how and what you write, I don't really have anything useful to offer. All I can say is, over the years I've gotten the distinct impression that you worry about yourself too much--and I should think that anxiety could very well interfere with your live social interactions. That might well be true. I can recall that during my siddhis flying block, or whatever, eating with over a hundred other people was most of the time really mentally painful, but during the last days, when I think most people started hopping, the atmosphere somehow softened, and I occasionally enjoyed eating ice-cream with a couple of other participants. A couple of years back an AV-consultant told me that my basic health is good, but something (obviously extremely traumatic) has happened at some point of my life. I recently realized what that might have been, but I don't have any kind of recollection of that incident. My mother is dead, so I can't ask her about the details of that probably quite a traumatic event. But that might explain why over the years especially women have asked me what I'm afraid of. I'm not usually even very clearly aware that I'm afraid of them. Good grief. You could always try hypnosis to recover the memory, I suppose. But that in itself would probably be pretty traumatic if there had been such an incident. You'd want to work with a very good professional who could help you with the fallout. After my siddhis course when I did the program regularly at home, I noticed that babies started to smile at me. One totally stranger even called me father on the street! So, I don't know what might have happened if I'd continued to do the siddhis regularly, but the negative consequencies were so annoying that I lost my motivation to do them. I felt that my karma started to ripen too fast, or something. Well, you could always try starting again and see what happens. Maybe having taken a break will make a difference. Having babies smile at you is one of life's greatest blessings, after all!
[FairfieldLife] Re: Drunks
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, off_world_beings [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_reply@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Richard J. Williams willytex@ wrote: One informer who apparently is living in France, does tend to cuss a lot... Absolutely true. I find it's useful for pinpointing the people I wouldn't want to waste my time with. :-) ...and posts here late at night - almost all his messages are from 12:00 - 3:00 AM on Saturday nights. Absolutely not true. Willy's from Texas, where they seem incapable of knowing that there are time zones other than their own. Most of my posts are made during breakfast my time, something to do over coffee and a croissant. Willy and Off may still be drunk at that hour, but I am most assuredly not. :-) I don't drink. You should consider taking it up. It might make you more tolerable.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Watch the way this guy plays guitar.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@ wrote: Not sure what kind of conditioning it could be. I suspect in my case it's that music tends to completely monopolize my attention; my brain just finds it inherently more significant than words. There may be one element of conditioning, though, in that when I *do* manage to really pay attention to lyrics, in far too many cases it turns out that they don't seem to have been worth my attention in the first place. Just FYI, if one felt that way, and as a result never paid attention to the words of songs by, say, Loreena McKennitt, one would have missed lyrics written by Tennyson, Yeats, St. John of the Cross, Sir Walter Scott, Shakespeare, Rumi, Homer and Dante. But none of those guys are probably worth your attention. :-) You appear to have gotten in far too many cases confused with always.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Cosmic Consciousness or Personality Disorder
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On Jan 14, 2007, at 5:56 PM, TurquoiseB wrote: It all depends on your definition for what meditation is. If you define it as encompassing all the stages of sitting and thinking, leading up to and including samadhi, then TM is meditation. Even if they never transcend? Yup. There may be some benefit to just sitting and relaxing. But also, I have met many people who didn't think they *were* transcending until they had a clear, several-minutes-long experience of samadhi. With that clear experience under their belts, they realized they'd been having brief moments of samadhi all along, but had never noticed them because they were looking for something other than what they are.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Watch the way this guy plays guitar.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_reply@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@ wrote: Not sure what kind of conditioning it could be. I suspect in my case it's that music tends to completely monopolize my attention; my brain just finds it inherently more significant than words. There may be one element of conditioning, though, in that when I *do* manage to really pay attention to lyrics, in far too many cases it turns out that they don't seem to have been worth my attention in the first place. Just FYI, if one felt that way, and as a result never paid attention to the words of songs by, say, Loreena McKennitt, one would have missed lyrics written by Tennyson, Yeats, St. John of the Cross, Sir Walter Scott, Shakespeare, Rumi, Homer and Dante. But none of those guys are probably worth your attention. :-) You appear to have gotten in far too many cases confused with always. I doubt it. Intellectual snobs is as intellectual snobs does. :-)
[FairfieldLife] Re: Llundrub : Nobody wanted your stupid ass here in the first place you fuckin
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, off_world_beings [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Rick, please ask this drug addict to leave. This is just not on. OffWorld --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, llundrub llundrub@ wrote: Nobody wanted your stupid ass here in the first place you fucking moron. Come on, girls: an extra set of asanas for both of you, and any more truculence, and it will be doubled.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Drunks
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, off_world_beings no_reply@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_reply@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Richard J. Williams willytex@ wrote: One informer who apparently is living in France, does tend to cuss a lot... Absolutely true. I find it's useful for pinpointing the people I wouldn't want to waste my time with. :-) ...and posts here late at night - almost all his messages are from 12:00 - 3:00 AM on Saturday nights. Absolutely not true. Willy's from Texas, where they seem incapable of knowing that there are time zones other than their own. Most of my posts are made during breakfast my time, something to do over coffee and a croissant. Willy and Off may still be drunk at that hour, but I am most assuredly not. :-) I don't drink. You should consider taking it up. It might make you more tolerable. I used to drink, it has no value. Only alcaholics like you think it makes you more interesting. It doesn't. OffWorld
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Cosmic Consciousness or Personality Disorder
On Jan 14, 2007, at 6:10 PM, TurquoiseB wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On Jan 14, 2007, at 5:56 PM, TurquoiseB wrote: It all depends on your definition for what meditation is. If you define it as encompassing all the stages of sitting and thinking, leading up to and including samadhi, then TM is meditation. Even if they never transcend? Yup. There may be some benefit to just sitting and relaxing. But also, I have met many people who didn't think they *were* transcending until they had a clear, several-minutes-long experience of samadhi. With that clear experience under their belts, they realized they'd been having brief moments of samadhi all along, but had never noticed them because they were looking for something other than what they are. In this case we're talking about people who go for years and decades (or their entire lives) without transcending. That's what I'm responding to. I say: what a waste of time. If they're not aware of transcending, this is another question entirely or if they're just looking for relaxation or stress management. If they're not transcendental *successfully* within a year or so, these people would be better off finding something more efficient and successful *for them*. The meditation technique needs to rise to meet the student, not ncessarily the other way around. If a technique cannot produce transcendence, adjustemnts should be made (and obviously checking does not always do this). To propose that consistent *failure* to transcend is success is TB and brainwashed nonsense. Different people benefit from different styles of meditation. If they're given an inappropriate meditation technique--whatever technique that might be--it's better for them to have something (anything) that will be appropriate for their own unique condition of body, nadi-constitution and mind. This is why a guru observes a student over an appropriate period of time before instruction is given. Commercial meditation almost always ignore this important fact: we're all different.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Drunks
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, off_world_beings [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_reply@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, off_world_beings no_reply@ wrote: You should consider taking it up. It might make you more tolerable. I used to drink, it has no value. Only alcaholics like you think it makes you more interesting. It doesn't. I didn't suggest it would make you more interesting, only more tolerable. Not much could accomplish the former, but if you drank enough to pass out you would be far more tolerable. I hardly drink at all, but if you were looking within this thread for a comparison between those who do imbibe occasionally and those who do not, the guy who has a glass of wine or two at dinner can at least spell the word alcoholic. :-)
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Drunks
TurquoiseB wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, off_world_beings [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_reply@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, off_world_beings no_reply@ wrote: You should consider taking it up. It might make you more tolerable. I used to drink, it has no value. Only alcaholics like you think it makes you more interesting. It doesn't. I didn't suggest it would make you more interesting, only more tolerable. Not much could accomplish the former, but if you drank enough to pass out you would be far more tolerable. I hardly drink at all, but if you were looking within this thread for a comparison between those who do imbibe occasionally and those who do not, the guy who has a glass of wine or two at dinner can at least spell the word alcoholic. :-) I wonder if there are any fine Fairfield wines? ;-)
[FairfieldLife] Re: Cosmic Consciousness or Personality Disorder
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On Jan 14, 2007, at 1:50 PM, sparaig wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj vajranatha@ wrote: On Jan 14, 2007, at 2:32 AM, sparaig wrote: I question this conclusion,. however. If you can think, you can meditate. Shouldn't that've read: If you can think, you *practice meditation* if you can *not think*, you can meditate? Er, no. People go for years and decades (or their entire lives) without transcending, and yet they show much the same physiological changes in their brain. Er, yes. Of course you notice the same changes--they're still cogitating a mantra! But they have failed in their meditation practice. They require more skillful means. So they failed at meditating. Thanks for explaining it all...
[FairfieldLife] Re: Cosmic Consciousness or Personality Disorder
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj vajranatha@ wrote: On Jan 14, 2007, at 1:50 PM, sparaig wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj vajranatha@ wrote: On Jan 14, 2007, at 2:32 AM, sparaig wrote: I question this conclusion,. however. If you can think, you can meditate. Shouldn't that've read: If you can think, you *practice meditation* if you can *not think*, you can meditate? Er, no. People go for years and decades (or their entire lives) without transcending, and yet they show much the same physiological changes in their brain. Er, yes. Of course you notice the same changes--they're still cogitating a mantra! But they have failed in their meditation practice. They require more skillful means. It all depends on your definition for what meditation is. If you define it as encompassing all the stages of sitting and thinking, leading up to and including samadhi, then TM is meditation. If you define it as the periods of samadhi and weight the benefits as coming primarily from those periods, then some other techniques may provide a more skillful means. Assuming that those techniques bring about real samadhi of course...
[FairfieldLife] Re: Watch the way this guy plays guitar.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@ wrote: Not sure what kind of conditioning it could be. I suspect in my case it's that music tends to completely monopolize my attention; my brain just finds it inherently more significant than words. There may be one element of conditioning, though, in that when I *do* manage to really pay attention to lyrics, in far too many cases it turns out that they don't seem to have been worth my attention in the first place. Just FYI, if one felt that way, and as a result never paid attention to the words of songs by, say, Loreena McKennitt, one would have missed lyrics written by Tennyson, Yeats, St. John of the Cross, Sir Walter Scott, Shakespeare, Rumi, Homer and Dante. But none of those guys are probably worth your attention. :-) Of course, some people can READ lyrics and appreciate them, but, and I'm only guessing here, may not be able to HEAR lyrics along with the song, and later appreciate them, when attention is put on what they managed to learn while listening to the song. Just because the words are the same, doesn't mean the brian procedsses what is learned by listenting to a song the same way as what is learned by reading or listening to prose.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Drunks
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, off_world_beings no_reply@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_reply@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, off_world_beings no_reply@ wrote: You should consider taking it up. It might make you more tolerable. I used to drink, it has no value. Only alcaholics like you think it makes you more interesting. It doesn't. I didn't suggest it would make you more interesting, only more tolerable. Not much could accomplish the former, but if you drank enough to pass out you would be far more tolerable. I didn't suggest that you said it would make me more interesting, I can read English you know. I said Only alcaholics like you think it makes you more interesting. It doesn't., which is exactly what I meant to say. I hardly drink at all, but if you were looking within this thread for a comparison between those who do imbibe occasionally and those who do not, the guy who has a glass of wine or two at dinner can at least spell the word alcoholic. :-) 'Alcoholic' is not a word I have had occasion to use often, wheras you have to use it weekly on all those forms you have to fill in about yourself. OffWorld
[FairfieldLife] Re: Cosmic Consciousness or Personality Disorder
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On Jan 14, 2007, at 5:56 PM, TurquoiseB wrote: It all depends on your definition for what meditation is. If you define it as encompassing all the stages of sitting and thinking, leading up to and including samadhi, then TM is meditation. Even if they never transcend? Let's hear how you know whether or not they transcend.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Drunks
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, off_world_beings no_reply@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_reply@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, off_world_beings no_reply@ wrote: You should consider taking it up. It might make you more tolerable. I used to drink, it has no value. Only alcaholics like you think it makes you more interesting. It doesn't. I didn't suggest it would make you more interesting, only more tolerable. Not much could accomplish the former, but if you drank enough to pass out you would be far more tolerable. I hardly drink at all, but if you were looking within this thread for a comparison between those who do imbibe occasionally and those who do not, the guy who has a glass of wine or two at dinner can at least spell the word alcoholic. :-) Yea, and don't try to kid yourself about a glass of wine or two at dinner. Alcoholics are always in denial, it is way more than that isn't it? OffWorld
[FairfieldLife] Re: Cosmic Consciousness or Personality Disorder
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj vajranatha@ wrote: On Jan 14, 2007, at 5:56 PM, TurquoiseB wrote: It all depends on your definition for what meditation is. If you define it as encompassing all the stages of sitting and thinking, leading up to and including samadhi, then TM is meditation. Even if they never transcend? Yup. There may be some benefit to just sitting and relaxing. But also, I have met many people who didn't think they *were* transcending until they had a clear, several-minutes-long experience of samadhi. With that clear experience under their belts, they realized they'd been having brief moments of samadhi all along, but had never noticed them because they were looking for something other than what they are. Recent research on transcending changed how the researchers were trying to detect it. Originally, they asked people to press a button when they noticed it. They found episodes of transcending associated with the button press from about 15 seconds to over a minute. They decided that asking people to atch out for transcending might be interfering with the process and instead ran a bell 3 times at random during a meditatio session, and then asked people to describe what was going on when they heard the bell, and compared it to the physiological measures. Using THIS strategy they isolated periods of transcending as brief as 2 or 3 seconds. MMY's description of transcending suggests that it occurs constantly, whether you are meditating or not, but is too brief and too cloudy for most people to ever notice. This latest research seems to support this idea.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Cosmic Consciousness or Personality Disorder
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On Jan 14, 2007, at 6:10 PM, TurquoiseB wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj vajranatha@ wrote: On Jan 14, 2007, at 5:56 PM, TurquoiseB wrote: It all depends on your definition for what meditation is. If you define it as encompassing all the stages of sitting and thinking, leading up to and including samadhi, then TM is meditation. Even if they never transcend? Yup. There may be some benefit to just sitting and relaxing. But also, I have met many people who didn't think they *were* transcending until they had a clear, several-minutes-long experience of samadhi. With that clear experience under their belts, they realized they'd been having brief moments of samadhi all along, but had never noticed them because they were looking for something other than what they are. In this case we're talking about people who go for years and decades (or their entire lives) without transcending. That's what I'm responding to. I say: what a waste of time. If they're not aware of transcending, this is another question entirely or if they're just looking for relaxation or stress management. If they're not transcendental *successfully* within a year or so, these people would be better off finding something more efficient and successful *for them*. The meditation technique needs to rise to meet the student, not ncessarily the other way around. If a technique cannot produce transcendence, adjustemnts should be made (and obviously checking does not always do this). To propose that consistent *failure* to transcend is success is TB and brainwashed nonsense. Different people benefit from different styles of meditation. If they're given an inappropriate meditation technique--whatever technique that might be--it's better for them to have something (anything) that will be appropriate for their own unique condition of body, nadi-constitution and mind. This is why a guru observes a student over an appropriate period of time before instruction is given. Commercial meditation almost always ignore this important fact: we're all different. Of course, given that TM is advertised as working for everyone, perhaps you're projectintg your own definition of works onto what TM actually does.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Watch the way this guy plays guitar.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_reply@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@ wrote: Not sure what kind of conditioning it could be. I suspect in my case it's that music tends to completely monopolize my attention; my brain just finds it inherently more significant than words. There may be one element of conditioning, though, in that when I *do* manage to really pay attention to lyrics, in far too many cases it turns out that they don't seem to have been worth my attention in the first place. Just FYI, if one felt that way, and as a result never paid attention to the words of songs by, say, Loreena McKennitt, one would have missed lyrics written by Tennyson, Yeats, St. John of the Cross, Sir Walter Scott, Shakespeare, Rumi, Homer and Dante. But none of those guys are probably worth your attention. :-) You appear to have gotten in far too many cases confused with always. I doubt it. Don't doubt it. The two are not equivalent. Intellectual snobs is as intellectual snobs does. :-)
[FairfieldLife] Re: Cosmic Consciousness or Personality Disorder
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: snip To propose that consistent *failure* to transcend is success is TB and brainwashed nonsense. Only if you have already convinced yourself that MMY's entire theory of the nature and mechanics of consciousness, from which he derives his theory of meditation, is all wrong, in which case you wouldn't be doing TM anyway. MMY's criterion for successful meditation has always been the effect of the practice in activity,rather than what one experiences in meditation.
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Cure for Depersonalization is TM
A quote from the article on Depersonalization posted by Bob Brigate Relaxation techniques have been reported to be a beneficial adjunctive treatment for persons diagnosed with depersonalization disorder, particularly for those who are worried about their sanity.
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Cosmic Consciousness or Personality Disorder
On Jan 14, 2007, at 8:10 PM, sparaig wrote: Er, no. People go for years and decades (or their entire lives) without transcending, and yet they show much the same physiological changes in their brain. Er, yes. Of course you notice the same changes--they're still cogitating a mantra! But they have failed in their meditation practice. They require more skillful means. So they failed at meditating. Thanks for explaining it all... But, as you pointed out, they were able to get some relaxation from the mantra, which Barry-1.0 pointed out is a good thing.
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Cosmic Consciousness or Personality Disorder
On Jan 14, 2007, at 8:10 PM, sparaig wrote: Er, no. People go for years and decades (or their entire lives) without transcending, and yet they show much the same physiological changes in their brain. Er, yes. Of course you notice the same changes--they're still cogitating a mantra! But they have failed in their meditation practice. They require more skillful means. It all depends on your definition for what meditation is. If you define it as encompassing all the stages of sitting and thinking, leading up to and including samadhi, then TM is meditation. If you define it as the periods of samadhi and weight the benefits as coming primarily from those periods, then some other techniques may provide a more skillful means. Assuming that those techniques bring about real samadhi of course... That is the assumption, yes. But I also should point out that if TM teaching and checking hadn't gone canonical (i.e fixed and deemed pure), there are perfectly good ways to correct all these issues. The Hindu mantrayana is vast in it's array of techniques and adjuncts. One traditional approach, purification of the nadi-bioenergetic systems with pranayama, is being practiced by the newer lineal descendants of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Numerous advanced pranayama techniques, along with visualizations, were used in elite TM courses but unfortunately never trickled down to the rank and file. There still exists no way to get their mantra changed because the underlying science of mantra is in fact never taught to TM teachers. In fact, the real raison d'etre of the actual mantras is hidden.
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Cosmic Consciousness or Personality Disorder
On Jan 14, 2007, at 8:19 PM, sparaig wrote: Of course, given that TM is advertised as working for everyone, perhaps you're projectintg your own definition of works onto what TM actually does. Or you projecting your constant attachment to the effortless dogma?
[FairfieldLife] Turquoise B -- Insomniac
Ok, if you are in France Turquoise B, then you just posted a post at 3 o'clock in the morning. If you are not a drunk staying up to 3am and posting, are you an insomniac? OffWorld --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_reply@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, cardemaister no_reply@ wrote: But that (understanding spoken language) might have improved a bit lately. Namely, when I listen to the lyrics of some favourite songs from my youth, I notice I now understand the contents of those lyrics somewhat better than I used to. :0 I have *always* had great difficulty understanding sung lyrics. Even when the lyrics are very clear, I have trouble paying attention to them. Oddly enough, I'll find that I've automatically memorized the lyrics to songs with which I'm very familiar, but unless I make a great effort to divorce them from the music and contemplate them on their own terms, in my mind the lyrics are just sounds--like scat-singing--not meaningful words. I'm replying because this is a subject of some interest to me. I've found that *many* people cannot hear the lyrics of songs. I've always been able to, and the lyrics of songs have in fact always been a major influence in my life. I'm not sure what the issue is, whether it's systemic or a matter of conditioning. But there seems little question that some people can't hear the lyrics of song *as language* and as having content, no matter how long they sit and listen to them. I've watched friends *try* to hear song lyrics, and fail completely. Odd. Not sure what kind of conditioning it could be. I suspect in my case it's that music tends to completely monopolize my attention; my brain just finds it inherently more significant than words. There may be one element of conditioning, though, in that when I *do* manage to really pay attention to lyrics, in far too many cases it turns out that they don't seem to have been worth my attention in the first place. That's interesting, but hardly surprising. I learned long ago that basically there were two kinds of people -- those who could hear lyrics and those who cannot. I also learned very early never to bother with women who cannot. If they can't hear and appreciate the lyrics to songs, it's never going to work out between us, so it's better not to get involved in the first place. Turning a potential love interest on to my favorite singer/songwriters is kind of a litmus test for me as to whether to pursue things. And my test has never failed me. I think it's a systemic or genetic thang; some people descend from bards and some do not and I resonate better with those who do.
[FairfieldLife] George Harrison's mansion...
...that he gave to the Hare Krishna Movement (along with 20 million British Pounds when he died). Take the tour: http://chantandbehappy.com/manorvirtual/
[FairfieldLife] TurquoiseB offers his services to Maharishi.
TurquoiseB offers his services to Maharishi: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: New position open in Vlodrop -- TM Movement Fool: In all seriousness, I think the thing that would most benefit the TM movement (and thus the world) is the creation of one job there in Vlodrop. The position would be to act as court fool to Maharishi. As captured so well in Shakespeare (probably more than in real life) the court fool was a really important figure in the royal courts of Europe. The job duties of the fool were simple -- TO TELL THE TRUTH. The fool was pretty much the only person in the court who could, and would, tell the king what was REALLY going on, and what his decisions had accomplished or failed to accomp- lish in the real world outside the palace. I suggest that there is a strong need for such a position within the TM movement. There could be no closer counter- part to the isolated, palace-bound monarch than Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. He hasn't left his rooms in...what?...decades. So his lofty plans and schemes for the world and how to improve its lot are of necessity flawed, based on faulty information about that world. Assuming that things have not changed since I was around him, Maharishi's news is heavily FILTERED. The flunkies he allows around him have learned over the years what he WANTS to hear, and they carefully filter out anything he *doesn't* want to hear. What is needed is someone who is EXEMPT, someone who is *allowed* to tell the truth to the monarch, without fear of losing his position...or his head...for doing so. Maharishi NEEDS a fool, someone to speak up and tell him when one of his schemes is based on unreality, on a vision of the world that has nothing to do with how things really are. In this case, the fool could have donned his cap and bells, cavorted gaily in front of Maharishi's throne (or, more likely, bed) and said, Y'know Maharishi...building a big university in Bumfuck, Kansas and declaring that 10,000 young, inspired meditators would come there and spend their days butt-bouncing for peace is an interesting idea, but YOU DON'T HAVE 10,000 YOUNG, INSPIRED MEDITATORS any more. You've driven almost all of the older meditators away, and those who are still around wouldn't allow their OWN kids to jeapordize their futures by attending a TM university in the middle of nowhere. You couldn't raise more than 1200 old, even somewhat inspired old farts to come and buttbounce for peace in Fairfield, a community that offers them a few things to do with themselves when they *weren't* butt-bouncing, even when you offered to pay them to come there. And now you expect *young* people to check themselves into basically a prison for a number of years for no other reason than because YOU WANT THEM TO? Get REAL, dude! Maharishi wouldn't *appreciate* hearing this news, of course, no more than King Lear appreciated some of the things *his* fool told him. But at least *someone* would be there to tell him the truth. Lear's fool came to a bad end for telling the truth, and the TM Movement Fool might suffer the same fate. But damn! someone should really TRY. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, dhamiltony2k5 dhamiltony2k5@ wrote: Dear Meditators, Citizen Sidhas, and Governors, On January 14th at 3:30 PM EST there will be a national conference call with all of the American Rajas and all of the Ministers of the Global Country of World Peace in Holland. The purpose of this call is to describe the plans to create a new university in the geographic center of the United Statesin the Brahmasthan of America, in Kansas. This university, called Central University, will offer the curriculum of Total Knowledge, the unified field, which will have a unifying effect on the whole country. There will be 200 students from each of the 50 statesa total of 10,000 students, all practicing the Transcendental Meditation and TM- Sidhi program together at the same time. This initiative is possible now that America is achieving invincibility through the almost 2000 Yogic Flyers in Maharishi Vedic City and Maharishi University of Management in Iowa. The goal is to have the construction of the buildings of Central University well underway by Guru Purnima in July of this year, parallel with the construction in the World Capital of Peace in the Brahmasthan of India for 16,000 Vedic Pandits. In the next few days we would like to reach all Meditators, Citizen Sidhas, and Governors, other well-wishers of peace, and educational foundations, to invest in, or donate to, the construction of Central University. We would like expressions of support from everyone interested and how much they would be interested in investing or donating. Each Raja has set up procedures for this, but potential supporters could
Re: [FairfieldLife] Turquoise B -- Insomniac
I don't think we can trust Yahoo server times all that much. off_world_beings wrote: Ok, if you are in France Turquoise B, then you just posted a post at 3 o'clock in the morning. If you are not a drunk staying up to 3am and posting, are you an insomniac? OffWorld --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_reply@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, cardemaister no_reply@ wrote: But that (understanding spoken language) might have improved a bit lately. Namely, when I listen to the lyrics of some favourite songs from my youth, I notice I now understand the contents of those lyrics somewhat better than I used to. :0 I have *always* had great difficulty understanding sung lyrics. Even when the lyrics are very clear, I have trouble paying attention to them. Oddly enough, I'll find that I've automatically memorized the lyrics to songs with which I'm very familiar, but unless I make a great effort to divorce them from the music and contemplate them on their own terms, in my mind the lyrics are just sounds--like scat-singing--not meaningful words. I'm replying because this is a subject of some interest to me. I've found that *many* people cannot hear the lyrics of songs. I've always been able to, and the lyrics of songs have in fact always been a major influence in my life. I'm not sure what the issue is, whether it's systemic or a matter of conditioning. But there seems little question that some people can't hear the lyrics of song *as language* and as having content, no matter how long they sit and listen to them. I've watched friends *try* to hear song lyrics, and fail completely. Odd. Not sure what kind of conditioning it could be. I suspect in my case it's that music tends to completely monopolize my attention; my brain just finds it inherently more significant than words. There may be one element of conditioning, though, in that when I *do* manage to really pay attention to lyrics, in far too many cases it turns out that they don't seem to have been worth my attention in the first place. That's interesting, but hardly surprising. I learned long ago that basically there were two kinds of people -- those who could hear lyrics and those who cannot. I also learned very early never to bother with women who cannot. If they can't hear and appreciate the lyrics to songs, it's never going to work out between us, so it's better not to get involved in the first place. Turning a potential love interest on to my favorite singer/songwriters is kind of a litmus test for me as to whether to pursue things. And my test has never failed me. I think it's a systemic or genetic thang; some people descend from bards and some do not and I resonate better with those who do.
[FairfieldLife] Re: George Harrison's mansion...
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: ...that he gave to the Hare Krishna Movement (along with 20 million British Pounds when he died). Take the tour: http://chantandbehappy.com/manorvirtual/ Apparently not: http://tinyurl.com/yfee35
[FairfieldLife] Re: Cosmic Consciousness or Personality Disorder
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On Jan 14, 2007, at 8:10 PM, sparaig wrote: Er, no. People go for years and decades (or their entire lives) without transcending, and yet they show much the same physiological changes in their brain. Er, yes. Of course you notice the same changes--they're still cogitating a mantra! But they have failed in their meditation practice. They require more skillful means. So they failed at meditating. Thanks for explaining it all... But, as you pointed out, they were able to get some relaxation from the mantra, which Barry-1.0 pointed out is a good thing. And, you have no idea what, if anything, besides simple relaxation, occurred due to their practice, and have never met 99% of the TMers of theworld, but are willing to decide what is what based, not on some alternate theory, but merely on your belief that TM doesn't work as advertised.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Cosmic Consciousness or Personality Disorder
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On Jan 14, 2007, at 8:19 PM, sparaig wrote: Of course, given that TM is advertised as working for everyone, perhaps you're projectintg your own definition of works onto what TM actually does. Or you projecting your constant attachment to the effortless dogma? I don't judge my practice as effortless or not-effortless, sorry.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Cosmic Consciousness or Personality Disorder
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On Jan 14, 2007, at 8:10 PM, sparaig wrote: Er, no. People go for years and decades (or their entire lives) without transcending, and yet they show much the same physiological changes in their brain. Er, yes. Of course you notice the same changes--they're still cogitating a mantra! But they have failed in their meditation practice. They require more skillful means. It all depends on your definition for what meditation is. If you define it as encompassing all the stages of sitting and thinking, leading up to and including samadhi, then TM is meditation. If you define it as the periods of samadhi and weight the benefits as coming primarily from those periods, then some other techniques may provide a more skillful means. Assuming that those techniques bring about real samadhi of course... That is the assumption, yes. But I also should point out that if TM teaching and checking hadn't gone canonical (i.e fixed and deemed pure), there are perfectly good ways to correct all these issues. The Hindu mantrayana is vast in it's array of techniques and adjuncts. One traditional approach, purification of the nadi-bioenergetic systems with pranayama, is being practiced by the newer lineal descendants of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Numerous advanced pranayama techniques, along with visualizations, were used in elite TM courses but unfortunately never trickled down to the rank and file. There still exists no way to get their mantra changed because the underlying science of mantra is in fact never taught to TM teachers. In fact, the real raison d'etre of the actual mantras is hidden. Numerous techniques may have b een tried and discarded as not-effective.
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Cosmic Consciousness or Personality Disorder
I never though I'd say this but you cynicism Vaj has earned you a spot in the spam bin for a year. Maybe I'll read you again someday. I'm just tired of all the hatred. Maybe someday you'll just get tired of sounding like someones bummer nagging mother. - Original Message - From: Vaj To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, January 14, 2007 4:37 PM Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Cosmic Consciousness or Personality Disorder On Jan 14, 2007, at 1:50 PM, sparaig wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On Jan 14, 2007, at 2:32 AM, sparaig wrote: I question this conclusion,. however. If you can think, you can meditate. Shouldn't that've read: If you can think, you *practice meditation* if you can *not think*, you can meditate? Er, no. People go for years and decades (or their entire lives) without transcending, and yet they show much the same physiological changes in their brain. Er, yes. Of course you notice the same changes--they're still cogitating a mantra! But they have failed in their meditation practice. They require more skillful means.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Drunks
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: snip I wonder if there are any fine Fairfield wines? ;-) Plenty. Why is it taking so long to get to CC? Why doesn't Maharshi visit more often? Why do we have to focus on these blasted scientific studies? Take your choice. lurk
[FairfieldLife] My Dad the Alcoholic
My dad was an alcoholic. Naturally, I didn't realize this as a young kid growing up but I knew he was different from other fathers. It was about the age of 12 that I began to associate the bottle of liquor he consumed every night and the transformation that took place that became his drunk personality. He was the angry silent drunk who after dinner would go around slamming doors and arguing with anyone who said the wrong thing. I remember my mom asking me if I wanted to go for a drive just to get out of the house. The funny thing is though, that in the morning he never was hung over even after consuming his normal half bottle of Vodka the night before. He was perfectly normal, open and articulate as he prepared himself for work. He owned and ran an electronic wholesale business and successfully bought up cheap southern California property when it was cheap back in the sixties. No one knew he was an alcoholic, no one except our family. He kicked my brother out of the house when he was 21 and continued to emotionally abuse my mother until that fateful day when I came home from school and was greeted by my aunt who informed me that, you're dad has died of a heart attack. He was only 59 but I suppose the fast order food, drinking and smoking eventually caught up with him. I remember the strange feeling of walking into my house and seeing all the people who worked for him along with friends. They all seemed to be enjoying a cocktail party. I went into my room, laid down on the bed and pretended to be sad. My brother came in and gave me a hug but I didn't feel anything possibly because there had been no feelings between a son and a drunk. I've never felt anything since about him. My brother feels the same. My mother sometimes asks me if I ever have any good memories of dad and I reply, No, how can I, he was a drunk.
[FairfieldLife] Pics of new pundit campus in VC
subscription reqd to this list -- houses look tiny, cuz they're single- wide -- the original pundit campus had bigger houses http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Fairfield_Community_Kiosk/message/2021
[FairfieldLife] Re: New position open in Vlodrop -- TM Movement Fool
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: In all seriousness, I think the thing that would most benefit the TM movement (and thus the world) is the creation of one job there in Vlodrop. The position would be to act as court fool to Maharishi. As captured so well in Shakespeare (probably more than in real life) the court fool was a really important figure in the royal courts of Europe. The job duties of the fool were simple -- TO TELL THE TRUTH. The fool was pretty much the only person in the court who could, and would, tell the king what was REALLY going on, and what his decisions had accomplished or failed to accomp- lish in the real world outside the palace. I suggest that there is a strong need for such a position within the TM movement MMY is well aware of the true state of affairs in the world, which is why he embraces and accedes to things that can't work. Why? He spelled out this policy back in the 60s, in a pamphlet entitled The Divine Plan, the Divine Plan being to unfold enlightenment values gradually in order to avoid creating fear and havoc in an ignorant world: When the objectivity [man's material life] overtakes subjectivity [the divine intelligence in man -- more from MMY on material/spiritual life at http://geocities.com/bbrigante/sevenstates.html#self ] completely then the only way left for the subjectivity is that it should gradually rise up in such a way that its regeneration does not in any way tend to overthrow the validity of material life. On the other hand, the manner of spiritual regeneration should be such that instead of creating fear and havoc to material life, the growing spiritual values should supplement and reinforce the values of material existence. This is the working policy of the Divine Plan. The Spiritual Regeneration Movement is carrying this out. If MMY were to employ responsible people instead of fat wankerish slobs like Bevan and the rest of the army of crackpots, and back plans that were actually viable, then the onset of enlightenment would be too rapid for the world to accommodate. You can (and will, I'm sure) deride this analysis, but it is one he made long ago and is a level of analysis that only one operating from the level of cosmic intelligence is capable of making.
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: New position open in Vlodrop -- TM Movement Fool
If MMY were to employ responsible people instead of fat wankerish slobs like Bevan and the rest of the army of crackpots, and back plans that were actually viable, then the onset of enlightenment would be too rapid for the world to accommodate. You can (and will, I'm sure) deride this analysis, but it is one he made long ago and is a level of analysis that only one operating from the level of cosmic intelligence is capable of making. ---You think?
[FairfieldLife] Re: My Dad the Alcoholic
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, suziezuzie [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: My dad was an alcoholic. Naturally, I didn't realize this as a young kid growing up but I knew he was different from other fathers. It was about the age of 12 that I began to associate the bottle of liquor he consumed every night and the transformation that took place that became his drunk personality. He was the angry silent drunk who after dinner would go around slamming doors and arguing with anyone who said the wrong thing. I remember my mom asking me if I wanted to go for a drive just to get out of the house. The funny thing is though, that in the morning he never was hung over even after consuming his normal half bottle of Vodka the night before. He was perfectly normal, open and articulate as he prepared himself for work. He owned and ran an electronic wholesale business and successfully bought up cheap southern California property when it was cheap back in the sixties. No one knew he was an alcoholic, no one except our family. He kicked my brother out of the house when he was 21 and continued to emotionally abuse my mother until that fateful day when I came home from school and was greeted by my aunt who informed me that, you're dad has died of a heart attack. He was only 59 but I suppose the fast order food, drinking and smoking eventually caught up with him. I remember the strange feeling of walking into my house and seeing all the people who worked for him along with friends. They all seemed to be enjoying a cocktail party. I went into my room, laid down on the bed and pretended to be sad. My brother came in and gave me a hug but I didn't feel anything possibly because there had been no feelings between a son and a drunk. I've never felt anything since about him. My brother feels the same. My mother sometimes asks me if I ever have any good memories of dad and I reply, No, how can I, he was a drunk. * It's important to understand that anybody who had an abusive father or mother got that unfortunate circumstance because that was the karma one sent out in previous lives returning to oneself. There's a famous story in the Vedic lit about Prahlada, whose father was way- over-the-top abusive: Hiranyakasipu could not kill his son by throwing him beneath the feet of big elephants, throwing him among huge, fearful snakes, employing destructive spells, hurling him from the top of a hill, conjuring up illusory tricks, administering poison, starving him, exposing him to severe cold, winds, fire and water, or throwing heavy stones to crush him. When Hiranyakasipu found that he could not in any way harm Prahlada, who was completely sinless, he was in great anxiety about what to do next. Even though Hiranyakasipu was such an evil father, Prahlada felt compassion for him, and recognized that his abuse was just Prahlada's karma returning to him (Prahlada: Bound down with the fetters in the form of my past actions, I am thrown in the midst of ferocious ones, demons) and expressed the desire that his father be forgiven, but Vishnu informs him that an enlightened son frees a father from hell: Prahlada Maharaja said: O Supreme Lord, because You are so merciful to the fallen souls, I ask You for only one benediction. I know that my father, at the time of his death, had already been purified by Your glance upon him, but because of his ignorance of Your beautiful power and supremacy, he was unnecessarily angry at You, falsely thinking that You were the killer of his brother. Thus he directly blasphemed Your Lordship, the spiritual master of all living beings, and committed heavily sinful activities directed against me, Your devotee. I wish that he be excused for these sinful activities. SB 7.10.18: The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Prahlada, O most pure, O great saintly person, your father has been purified, along with twenty-one forefathers in your family. Because you were born in this family, the entire dynasty has been purified. SB 7.10.19: Whenever and wherever there are peaceful, equipoised devotees who are well behaved and decorated with all good qualities, that place and the dynasties there, even if condemned, are purified. http://srimadbhagavatam.com/7/10/en1
[FairfieldLife] Re: Most silent hard-drive?
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Alex Stanley [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, cardemaister no_reply@ wrote: The 300 G hard drive of my new PC is otherwise rather silent, but when it reads and writes, it makes quite an irritating sound. It's interesting that I only notice the sound when I do saMyama on it. Some reading and/or writing seems to be happening almost all the time, even when no application is running. Of course there are some 50 processes running, but checking the task manager doesn't seem to indicate, at least most of the time, other activity than the System Idle process. The drive is Seagate. I've been quite satisfied with most of my previous Seagates. For instance one 40 G Barracuda is so silent that the reading/writing is barely noticeable. I wonder if for instance a Western Digital is nowadays more silent than a Seagate. The folks who built my system, http://www.endpcnoise.com/ , are always up on who has the quietest hard drives, and right now, they're selling Western Digital. They also sell hard drive enclosures, which may offer some relief for your current hard drive. Thanks, I'll check out if I could find one.
