| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"V" |
| Date: |
12 Apr 2007 03:41:05 PM |
| Object: |
Bilbo the Buddhist??? |
Hi Mark,
Have you ever given any thought to study and practice of Buddhism?
You would see a world of change in your thinking by practicing
Buddhism and this can lead to great inner peace for you Mark.
At your wiki page you bill yourself as the 'host' or unofficial leader
of alt.atheism. As a leader it would be most beneficial if you had
some wisdom to spread among 'your flock' instead of the usual
profanities and hate that atheists exhibit here.
As I told Michelle, she can't give way what she does not have and this
goes for all of us Mark. We must devlop peace within before we can
share it outside of us.
But all it takes is that first step in the opposite direction from
where you have been heading in for so long to create a new life for
yourself and for the countless other lives you touch Mark.
Buddhists are not required to believe or not believe in God, so anyone
can make use of this philosophy irrespective of their religious
beliefs or lack thereof Mark.
I draw from many spiritual traditions myself, including Buddhism and
Taoism Mark. My main focus of my Buddhist practice is concentrated on
the 3 pillars of Buddhism that are common to all schools of Buddhist
practice: I've settled on the essence of Buddhism and that is what I
work on and find much peace with this type of simplified practice.
3 Pillars of Buddhism
1- Practicing mindfulness and meditation to develop peace and self
awareness of our own true nature.
2- Accepting the liberating wisdom of impermanence and practicing non-
clinging and a lessening of craving and desires.
3- The development of compassion for others.
Buddhists develop compassion for others by looking into their
suffering. As such, we cannot hate and love others at the same time.
If we choose compassion, we also receive the benefits of such a
practice. And if we choose hate, we also receive the effects that
hates provides. This is no different than what the good book tells
us...As Ye Sow, So Shall Ye Reap
..
Buddha was not a God and just a man, so not need to worship him unless
you are a 'Pure Land Buddhist.'
In addition to the 3 pillars, we can use the eightfold path to guide
us Mark
The Eightfold Path
1. Right View
2. Right Intention
3. Right Speech
4. Right Action
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Effort
7. Right Mindfulness
8. Right Concentration
How can you differentiate right from wrong? By peace. You learn what
destroys your peace and the peace of others as well as what promotes
you inner peace and the inner peace of others. Do you need a teacher
for that? Or the Pope to tell you? Or just listen to peace as the best
teacher Mark? But first you must get a handle on what 'inner peace'
feels like Mark.
The 5 precepts are the 'commandments' more or less for Buddhists.
Although you are not commanded to do a thing. If you wish to live at
peace, then proceed the best you can - but it is your choice. No one
to boss you other than you...you alone are in control of your inner
peace.
The Five Precepts
1. Refrain from Killing:
2. Refrain from Stealing:
3. Refrain from Sexual Misconduct:
4. Refrain from False Speech:
5. Refrain from the Use of Intoxicants:
I came to Buddhism slowly through my studies about 1999. My earliest
exposure was from Thich Nhat Hanh, Allen Watts and the Dalai Lama. I
practice for inner peace, but also it might be termed enlightenment.
Buddhism provides this tool, which is just one out of the many tools I
use for peace development. For once we have found a contentment within
and with all and are at peace - we are progressing on the road to
enlightenment. You can also tell when you have "arrived" by your
practice telling you so. Does your practice revolve around actually
practicing what you have learned to generate peace within or are you
on a never ending journey of always looking and never finding?
Once I am at peace, I can share with others about finding peace for
themselves, which is the secondary reason I practice Mark. I have no
interest in practicing Buddhism for extinguishing reincarnation.
These "fear based" reasons for being a Buddhist are not authentic or
natural - the persons actions are based on fear or negative
consequences otherwise they would not do them. My actions are based on
inner peace and if I stray - there goes my peace - it is my choice. I
enjoy life and realize that due to natural law, suffering comes about
as part of the process.
The Taoists have a saying for this, "fleas come with the dog." So, I
accept there are growth pains as a fair trade off for the privilege of
living and I would enjoy any reincarnation if given the chance Mark.
But as an agnostic, I have no proof reincarnation is real. In any
case, Buddhism helps makes this trade off of life and pain more in my
favor by lending me support to live a life at peace. I do not practice
Buddhism to earn merit for the next life - I practice Buddhism for my
own peace generation in THIS LIFE.
I'd like to point out that my views are not the orthodox or
traditional views on these subjects Mark. And I am an agnostic
freethinker that uses tools from Buddhism to supplement my own peace
practice.
If you would like to discuss this in private Mark, feel free to write
me direct.
Good Luck,
V (male)
Agnostic Freethinker
Practical Philosopher
AA#2
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| User: "The Chief Instigator" |
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| Title: Re: Bilbo the Buddhist??? |
12 Apr 2007 04:38:19 PM |
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"V" <vfr44@aol.com> writes:
Hi Mark,
Have you ever given any thought to study and practice of Buddhism?
Hi, delusional "V"...
have you ever given any thought to anything outside your ego?
--
Patrick "The Chief Instigator" Humphrey (patrick@io.com) Houston, Texas
chiefinstigator.us.tt/aeros.php (TCI's 2006-07 Houston Aeros) AA#2273
LAST GAME: Iowa 3, Houston 1 (April 11)
NEXT GAME: Friday, April 13 vs. Iowa, 7:35
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| User: "Hatter" |
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| Title: Re: Bilbo the Buddhist??? |
16 Apr 2007 04:47:52 PM |
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On Apr 12, 5:38 pm, The Chief Instigator <patr...@eris.io.com> wrote:
"V" <v...@aol.com> writes:
Hi Mark,
Have you ever given any thought to study and practice of Buddhism?
Hi, delusional "V"...
have you ever given any thought to anything outside your ego?
Very well put.
Hatter
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| User: "Lisbeth Andersson" |
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| Title: Re: Bilbo the Buddhist??? |
12 Apr 2007 07:52:01 PM |
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"V" <vfr44@aol.com> wrote in
news:1176410465.779469.201480@b75g2000hsg.googlegroups.com:
Hi Mark,
Have you ever given any thought to study and practice of
Buddhism?
You don't want to encourage anybody in alt.atheism to study Buddhism,
there are people here who would not be very polite about your
interpretation of it. If they read your posts that is. Salad bar
Buddhism is very popular in the westen world, but I suspect that most
atheists would find it just as stupid as salad bar Christianity,
You would see a world of change in your thinking by practicing
Buddhism and this can lead to great inner peace for you Mark.
What's so great about inner peace, anyway?
<....>
Buddhists are not required to believe or not believe in God, so
anyone can make use of this philosophy irrespective of their
religious beliefs or lack thereof Mark.
When you have thrown out the reincarnation, the "all is suffering"
garbage, personal (or not so personal) karma and a few other things
(depending on which version of Buddhism you are de-superstitioning)
why would anybody choose "Buddhist philosophy" instead of any of the
other philosophies this world is littered with?
I draw from many spiritual traditions myself, including Buddhism
and Taoism Mark. My main focus of my Buddhist practice is
concentrated on the 3 pillars of Buddhism that are common to all
schools of Buddhist practice: I've settled on the essence of
Buddhism and that is what I work on and find much peace with this
type of simplified practice.
3 Pillars of Buddhism
Yes the Buddha, dharma and sangha.
1- Practicing mindfulness and meditation to develop peace and
self awareness of our own true nature.
A friend of mine took a course in meditation a while back. She had to
sign a paper saying that she had no mental problems. It seems that
some forms of meditation can cause mental illness. Since you are
participating in a 12-step program you might be at risk, I hope you
have checked with your doctor if it is OK.
2- Accepting the liberating wisdom of impermanence and practicing
non- clinging and a lessening of craving and desires.
3- The development of compassion for others.
Buddhists develop compassion for others by looking into their
suffering. As such, we cannot hate and love others at the same
time. If we choose compassion, we also receive the benefits of
such a practice. And if we choose hate, we also receive the
effects that hates provides. This is no different than what the
good book tells us...As Ye Sow, So Shall Ye Reap
OTOH if they are suffering it is their own fault for getting bad karma
in some earlier incarnation. Dalai Lama said so.
..
Buddha was not a God and just a man, so not need to worship him
unless you are a 'Pure Land Buddhist.'
Have you read the stories about his "conception" and birth?
<....>
Once I am at peace, I can share with others about finding peace
for themselves, which is the secondary reason I practice Mark. I
have no interest in practicing Buddhism for extinguishing
reincarnation.
Do you think you are a boddhisattva?
<....>
AA#2
That will bring you really bad karma. "As Ye Sow, So Shall Ye Reap".
What goes around, comes around. Tit for Tat. .....
Lisbeth.
----
The day I don't learn anything new is the day I die.
*What we know is not nearly as interesting as *how we know it.
--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com
.
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| User: "V" |
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| Title: Re: Bilbo the Buddhist??? |
13 Apr 2007 05:32:43 PM |
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On Apr 12, 8:52 pm, Lisbeth
OTOH if they are suffering it is their own fault for getting bad
karma
in some earlier incarnation. Dalai Lama said so.
..
Have you read the stories about his "conception" and birth?
V: I only use practical tools and am not into specualtion.
Do you think you are a boddhisattva?
V: Bodhisattva?
One becomes one when one wishes to be one.
I work in the tradition of a Bodhisattva, but I am not a traditional
Buddhist. I am an Agnostic Freethinker
Buddhism is loaded with tons of useless stuff just as the theist
religions.
Many Buddhist practitioners, claiming to be wannabe escapees, are not
even pointed in the right direction with their practice. Instead of
working with traditional methods of escaping samsara via Hinayana,
they are working a deluded Mahayana practice and blind to even the
basics of such an escape rout.
While Mahayana traditions have their place, it is not the best choice
for someone wishing to escape samara since the Bodhisattva. vows to
'leave no man behind'. So you escape nothing until all escape. Look
around you? In the reality of 'what is' few are ever saved and the
population just keeps growing exponentially. So the facts point to
delusion for the escapees that wish to do it via Mahayana ideals.
Of course, such practicers are free to keep working in the wrong
direction to escape samaras, they do not have to please me, they only
have to please themselves. But this is what the foundation of Hinayana
practice is, enlightening and saving oneself as one becomes an arhat.
As one saves oneself, help carry few across by showing them the path.
But to 'save all' is ego based, which was where the Mahayana first
came from...ego. Yes, ego shows up from the start with Mahayana when
they termed it the 'great vehicle' and used the perforative 'lesser
vehicle' to describe the traditional practices that Buddha himself
laid down.
Am I a proponent of Hinayana over Mahayana?
No, I am a proponent of using right tools for right jobs that's all.
I use tools from Hinayana as well a Mahayana, so I take what I wish to
and leave the waste that inevitably comes from man made religions.
When we read the Pail canon we must do so with a grain of salt as we
must also do with the bible and everything else created by man.
Everything that has been quoted as the Buddha's words in this thread
is suspect and most likely false to a lesser or larger degree. The
Buddha wrote down nothing and everything we have is here-say. What was
documented at the First Buddhist Council can be attributed to Ananda
recited passages of the Buddha's teaching - but this is far from being
the completed Canon as we know it to be. From there it was only at
later 3rd Buddhist Council some 250 years later that the initial seed
that Ananda provided grew and was rehashed and reworked to give up our
current Pail canon. So when we get too high and mighty with our
'Buddha said this and that' we should remember this fact.
Yes, Ananda, so the story goes, persuaded the Buddha to accept women
into the sangha as nuns. Also the lobbying of the Buddha's step Mom
was mentioned as a factor in persuading the Buddha to change his mind.
Ananda seemed to appreciate the finer qualities of women and so had a
vested interest it seems in offering equal or semi equal opportunity
to women.
BTW...An interesting story about Ananda and his trials and
tribulations with women.
"At that time, because =C1nanda was receiving alms in sequential order,
he passed by a house of prostitution and was waylaid by a powerful
artifice. On the strength of Kapila's mantra, which came from the
Brahma Heaven, the daughter of Matangi drew him onto an impure mat.
With her licentious body she caressed him until he was on the verge of
destroying the precept-substance. The Tath=E1gata, knowing Ananda was
being taken advantage of by an impure artifice, finished the meal and
immediately returned to the Sublime Abode. The king, great officials,
elders, and laypeople followed along after the Buddha desiring to hear
the essentials of the Dharma. Then the World Honored One from his
crown emitted hundreds of rays of jeweled light, which dispelled all
fear. Within the light appeared a thousand-petal jeweled lotus, upon
which was seated a transformation-body Buddha in full-lotus posture,
proclaiming a spiritual mantra. Shakyamuni Buddha commanded Manjushri
to take the mantra and go provide protection, and, when the evil
mantra was dispelled, to support =C1nanda and Matangi's daughter and
encourage them to return to where the Buddha was."
From: [url=3Dhttp://www.buddhistinformation.com/
shurangama_sutra.htm]http://www.buddhistinformation.com/
shurangama_sutra.htm[/url]
Take care,
V (Male)
Agnostic Freethinker
Practical Philosopher
AA#2
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| User: "Lisbeth Andersson" |
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| Title: Re: Bilbo the Buddhist??? |
14 Apr 2007 08:18:06 PM |
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"V" <vfr44@aol.com> wrote in
news:1176503563.311724.275590@o5g2000hsb.googlegroups.com:
On Apr 12, 8:52 pm, Lisbeth
OTOH if they are suffering it is their own fault for getting bad
karma
in some earlier incarnation. Dalai Lama said so.
.
Have you read the stories about his "conception" and birth?
V: I only use practical tools and am not into specualtion.
Samsara, reincarnation and not many people getting saved is not
speculation? And you know the best way to escape samsara? That seems
like speculation to me.
Since I'm referring to passages below I'll use ******* to mark them.
Do you think you are a boddhisattva?
V: Bodhisattva?
One becomes one when one wishes to be one.
I work in the tradition of a Bodhisattva, but I am not a
traditional Buddhist. I am an Agnostic Freethinker
Of course you are not a traditional Buddhist.
Buddhism is loaded with tons of useless stuff just as the theist
religions.
Is what you are writing below examples of that useless stuff?
Many Buddhist practitioners, claiming to be wannabe escapees, are
not even pointed in the right direction with their practice.
Instead of working with traditional methods of escaping samsara
via Hinayana, they are working a deluded Mahayana practice and
blind to even the basics of such an escape rout.
*******
While Mahayana traditions have their place, it is not the best
choice for someone wishing to escape samara since the
Bodhisattva. vows to 'leave no man behind'. So you escape nothing
*******
until all escape. Look around you? In the reality of 'what is'
few are ever saved and the population just keeps growing
exponentially. So the facts point to delusion for the escapees
that wish to do it via Mahayana ideals.
*******
Of course, such practicers are free to keep working in the wrong
direction to escape samaras, they do not have to please me, they
*******
only have to please themselves. But this is what the foundation
of Hinayana practice is, enlightening and saving oneself as one
becomes an arhat.
As one saves oneself, help carry few across by showing them the
*******
path. But to 'save all' is ego based, which was where the
Mahayana first came from...ego. Yes, ego shows up from the start
*******
with Mahayana when they termed it the 'great vehicle' and used
the perforative 'lesser vehicle' to describe the traditional
practices that Buddha himself laid down.
Am I a proponent of Hinayana over Mahayana?
No, I am a proponent of using right tools for right jobs that's
all.
And since you are claiming to work in the tradition of a Bodhisattva
........
Let's see:
Hinayana - Arhat
Mahayana - Bodhisattva - ego based
I use tools from Hinayana as well a Mahayana, so I take what I
wish to and leave the waste that inevitably comes from man made
religions.
<.....>
Yes, Ananda, so the story goes, persuaded the Buddha to accept
women into the sangha as nuns. Also the lobbying of the Buddha's
step Mom was mentioned as a factor in persuading the Buddha to
change his mind. Ananda seemed to appreciate the finer qualities
of women and so had a vested interest it seems in offering equal
or semi equal opportunity to women.
And then there is the tradition about the comment Buddha made when he
let women in. You do the math.
BTW...An interesting story about Ananda and his trials and
tribulations with women.
<.....>
Was there a point to this story?
Take care,
V (Male)
Agnostic Freethinker
Practical Philosopher
AA#2
Well, karma is out and lying is in.
Lisbeth.
----
The day I don't learn anything new is the day I die.
*What we know is not nearly as interesting as *how we know it.
--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com
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| User: "raven1" |
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| Title: Re: Bilbo the Buddhist??? |
13 Apr 2007 08:24:27 PM |
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On 13 Apr 2007 15:32:43 -0700, "V" <vfr44@aol.com> wrote:
But this is what the foundation of Hinayana
practice is, enlightening and saving oneself as one becomes an arhat.
As one saves oneself, help carry few across by showing them the path.
You have to know the path yourself before you show it to others, you
deluded egomaniac.
--
"O Sybilli, si ergo
Fortibus es in ero
O Nobili! Themis trux
Sivat sinem? Causen Dux"
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| User: "Mark K. Bilbo" |
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| Title: Re: Bilbo the Buddhist??? |
13 Apr 2007 07:34:52 AM |
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On Fri, 13 Apr 2007 01:52:01 +0000, Lisbeth Andersson wrote:
"V" <vfr44@aol.com> wrote in
news:1176410465.779469.201480@b75g2000hsg.googlegroups.com:
Hi Mark,
Have you ever given any thought to study and practice of Buddhism?
You don't want to encourage anybody in alt.atheism to study Buddhism,
there are people here who would not be very polite about your
interpretation of it. If they read your posts that is. Salad bar Buddhism
is very popular in the westen world, but I suspect that most atheists
would find it just as stupid as salad bar Christianity,
What can you expect from a drunk? Alcohol causes serious problems with the
ability to understand pretty much anything...
--
Mark K. Bilbo a.a. #1423
EAC Department of Linguistic Subversion
------------------------------------------------------------
"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace
alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing
it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary."
- H. L. Mencken
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| User: "Lisbeth Andersson" |
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| Title: Re: Bilbo the Buddhist??? |
13 Apr 2007 04:20:14 PM |
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"Mark K. Bilbo" <gmail@com.mkbilbo> wrote in
news:pan.2007.04.13.12.34.52.174186@com.mkbilbo:
On Fri, 13 Apr 2007 01:52:01 +0000, Lisbeth Andersson wrote:
"V" <vfr44@aol.com> wrote in
news:1176410465.779469.201480@b75g2000hsg.googlegroups.com:
Hi Mark,
Have you ever given any thought to study and practice of
Buddhism?
You don't want to encourage anybody in alt.atheism to study
Buddhism, there are people here who would not be very polite
about your interpretation of it. If they read your posts that
is. Salad bar Buddhism is very popular in the westen world, but
I suspect that most atheists would find it just as stupid as
salad bar Christianity,
What can you expect from a drunk? Alcohol causes serious problems
with the ability to understand pretty much anything...
Whenever I read one of his posts, I keep imagining Stumper with a few
very large files and an "include file" button. ;-)
Lisbeth.
----
The day I don't learn anything new is the day I die.
*What we know is not nearly as interesting as *how we know it.
--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com
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| User: "LC" |
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| Title: Re: Bilbo the Buddhist??? |
12 Apr 2007 04:03:11 PM |
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"V" <vfr44@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1176410465.779469.201480@b75g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
Hi Mark,
Have you ever given any thought to study and practice of Buddhism?
Better question: Have you ever given any thought to deep therapy?
Gawd, what is it about AOL?
"V", "J Young", "bobandcarole"...so many netkooks under one umbrella.
Sheesh!
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| User: "Parsifal" |
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| Title: Re: Bilbo the Buddhist??? |
12 Apr 2007 04:41:16 PM |
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On 12 Apr., 23:03, "LC" <LC_is...@this.com> wrote:
"V" <v...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1176410465.779469.201480@b75g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
Hi Mark,
Have you ever given any thought to study and practice of Buddhism?
Better question: Have you ever given any thought to deep therapy?
Gawd, what is it about AOL?
"V", "J Young", "bobandcarole"...so many netkooks under one umbrella.
Sheesh!
Hey, don't forget Duke and Wentsky...
.
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| User: "Robibnikoff" |
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| Title: Re: Bilbo the Buddhist??? |
13 Apr 2007 09:17:00 AM |
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"V" <vfr44@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1176410465.779469.201480@b75g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
Hi Mark,
Have you ever given any thought to study and practice of Buddhism?
Have you ever thought about shutting the ***** up?
Obviously not.
<crossposting and ***** deleted>
--
Robyn
Resident Witchypoo
BAAWA Knight!
#1557
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| User: "Al Klein" |
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| Title: Re: Bilbo the Buddhist??? |
13 Apr 2007 10:56:34 PM |
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On Fri, 13 Apr 2007 10:17:00 -0400, "Robibnikoff"
<witchypoo@broomstick.com> wrote:
"V" <vfr44@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1176410465.779469.201480@b75g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
Hi Mark,
Have you ever given any thought to study and practice of Buddhism?
Have you ever thought
I doubt that he's capable of it.
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| User: "V" |
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| Title: Re: Bilbo the Buddhist??? |
13 Apr 2007 05:40:27 PM |
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Lis asks about me being a Bodhisattva?
One becomes one when one wishes to be one.
I work in the tradition of a Bodhisattva, I use tools from Buddhism,
but I am not a traditional Buddhist.
Buddhism is loaded with tons of useless stuff as well as the theist
religions.
Many Buddhist practitioners, claiming to be wannabe escapees, are not
even pointed in the right direction with their practice. Instead of
working with traditional methods of escaping samsara via Hinayana,
they are working a deluded Mahayana practice and blind to even the
basics of such an escape rout. While Mahayana traditions have their
place, it is not the best choice for someone wishing to escape samara
since the Bodhisattva. vows to 'leave no man behind'. So you escape
nothing until all escape. Look around you? In the reality of 'what
is' few are ever saved and the population just keeps growing
exponentially. So the facts point to delusion for the escapees that
wish to do it via Mahayana ideals.
Of course, such practicers are free to keep working in the wrong
direction to escape samaras, they do not have to please me, they only
have to please themselves. But this is what the foundation of Hinayana
practice is, enlightening and saving oneself as one becomes an arhat.
As one saves oneself, help carry few across by showing them the path.
But to 'save all' is ego based, which was where the Mahayana first
came from...ego. Yes, ego shows up from the start with Mahayana when
they termed it the 'great vehicle' and used the perforative 'lesser
vehicle' to describe the traditional practices that Buddha himself
laid down.
Am I a proponent of Hinayana over Mahayana? No, I am a proponent of
using right tools for right jobs that's all. I use tools from Hinayana
as well a Mahayana.
But I am to the 'ultimate practicer' is any of these disciplines, so I
take what I wish to and leave the waste that inevitably comes from man
made religions.
When we read the Pail canon we must do so with a grain of salt as we
must also do with the bible and everything else created by man.
Everything that has been quoted as the Buddha's words in this thread
is suspect and most likely false to a lesser or larger degree. The
Buddha wrote down nothing and everything we have is here-say. What was
documented at the First Buddhist Council can be attributed to Ananda
recited passages of the Buddha's teaching - but this is far from being
the completed Canon as we know it to be. From there it was only at
later 3rd Buddhist Council some 250 years later that the initial seed
that Ananda provided grew and was rehashed and reworked to give up our
current Pail canon. So when we get too high and mighty with our
'Buddha said this and that' we should remember this fact.
Yes, Ananda, so the story goes, persuaded the Buddha to accept women
into the sangha as nuns. Also the lobbying of the Buddha's step Mom
was mentioned as a factor in persuading the Buddha to change his mind.
Ananda seemed to appreciate the finer qualities of women and so had a
vested interest it seems in offering equal or semi equal opportunity
to women.
BTW, an interesting story about Ananda and his trials and tribulations
with women.
"At that time, because =C1nanda was receiving alms in sequential order,
he passed by a house of prostitution and was waylaid by a powerful
artifice. On the strength of Kapila's mantra, which came from the
Brahma Heaven, the daughter of Matangi drew him onto an impure mat.
With her licentious body she caressed him until he was on the verge of
destroying the precept-substance. The Tath=E1gata, knowing Ananda was
being taken advantage of by an impure artifice, finished the meal and
immediately returned to the Sublime Abode. The king, great officials,
elders, and laypeople followed along after the Buddha desiring to hear
the essentials of the Dharma. Then the World Honored One from his
crown emitted hundreds of rays of jeweled light, which dispelled all
fear. Within the light appeared a thousand-petal jeweled lotus, upon
which was seated a transformation-body Buddha in full-lotus posture,
proclaiming a spiritual mantra. Shakyamuni Buddha commanded Manjushri
to take the mantra and go provide protection, and, when the evil
mantra was dispelled, to support =C1nanda and Matangi's daughter and
encourage them to return to where the Buddha was."
From: [url=3Dhttp://www.buddhistinformation.com/
shurangama_sutra.htm]http://www.buddhistinformation.com/
shurangama_sutra.htm[/url]
Take care,
V (Male)
Agnostic Freethinker
Practical Philosopher
AA#2
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| User: "Mark K. Bilbo" |
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| Title: Re: Bilbo the Buddhist??? |
15 Apr 2007 06:42:55 AM |
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On Fri, 13 Apr 2007 16:40:27 -0700, V wrote:
Many Buddhist practitioners, claiming to be wannabe escapees, are not even
pointed in the right direction with their practice.
Says the wannabe Buddhist.
--
Mark K. Bilbo a.a. #1423
EAC Department of Linguistic Subversion
------------------------------------------------------------
"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace
alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing
it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary."
- H. L. Mencken
.
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| User: "raven1" |
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| Title: Re: Bilbo the Buddhist??? |
12 Apr 2007 05:14:36 PM |
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On 12 Apr 2007 13:41:05 -0700, "V" <vfr44@aol.com> wrote:
Hi Mark,
Have you ever given any thought to study and practice of Buddhism?
Why? So he can be an obnoxious ***** like you? I normally have great
respect for Buddhism as a philosophy, but it doesn't seem to have
helped you one iota.
--
"O Sybilli, si ergo
Fortibus es in ero
O Nobili! Themis trux
Sivat sinem? Causen Dux"
.
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| User: "Mogons" |
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| Title: Re: Bilbo the Buddhist??? |
13 Apr 2007 02:50:20 AM |
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On Apr 12, 2:14 pm, raven1 <quoththera...@nevermore.com> wrote:
On 12 Apr 2007 13:41:05 -0700, "V" <v...@aol.com> wrote:
Hi Mark,
Have you ever given any thought to study and practice of Buddhism?
Why? So he can be an obnoxious ***** like you? I normally have great
respect for Buddhism as a philosophy, but it doesn't seem to have
helped you one iota.
--
"O Sybilli, si ergo
Fortibus es in ero
O Nobili! Themis trux
Sivat sinem? Causen Dux"
If V is a buddhist, he's a book learned buddhist who doesn't seem to
practice what he has learned. He seems to think he's already
enlightened and he must try to enlighten those who have yet to start
walking the path. A wannabe Bodhasittva.
As it says in the Diamond Sutra
Subhuti, what do you think? Does a holy one say within himself, "I
have
obtained Perfective Enlightenment"? Subhuti replied, "No, World-
honored
One... If a holy one of Perfective Enlightenment said to himself, Such
am
I, he would necessarily partake of the idea of an ego-identity, a
person-
ality, a being, a separated individuality."
Mogons
.
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| User: "V" |
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| Title: Re: Bilbo the Buddhist??? |
13 Apr 2007 12:38:20 PM |
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mogons
If V is a buddhist, he's a book learned buddhist who doesn't seem to
practice what he has learned. He seems to think he's already
enlightened and he must try to enlighten those who have yet to start
walking the path. A wannabe Bodhasittva.
*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********
V:
I am not a Buddhist. I am an Agnostic Freethinker and write from that
point of view. As such, I am free to use tools from Buddhism or any
tools that produce peace from the various spiritual traditions of the
world. I do this without prejudice and my only requirements are that
the tool can be tested and does not exist only on the foundation of
blind faith. All the tools discussed within my posts are available for
any person to use irrespective of religious belief or lack thereof. I
make no other claims.
We are all Buddhas.(in progress) Each one of us contains the Buddha
nature. The seeds of enlightenment are all around us - we only have to
seek the truth and come to peace within to realize this.Wisdom is a
most important quality to develop if one desires to live a life at
peace. But before we can develop wisdom, we must be able to think
rationally. All these qualities are related. Seeing things clearly is
a byproduct of being at peace and developing wisdom. Applying wisdom
to our actions yields peace and being at peace allows rational
thought. But just applying rational thought alone does not equal
wisdom or peace.
I believe the traditional views of Buddhist beliefs of escaping
samsara are dead as far as practical application for the most part of
society. To escape rebirth is impractical for the vast, vast majority
of Buddhists. You must essentially give up your current life and take
up a life of homlessness, never handle money, do any business, beg for
food, give up entertainment of any kind, live celibate, live perfectly
devoid of passion, possessions, cravings, desires, ill will and a host
of other things...and then escaping samsara it is 'still' only a
theory at best. Then this process must be repeated for many, many
lifetimes to come.
I'll give you an example you can all relate to. If you are reading
this you have no chance of escaping rebirth...you are too full of
passion to escape anything. What you 'should' be doing as a self
proclaimed 'serious Buddhist practitioner' is; instead of reading and
writing on the computer you would be meditating on the three
liberation's. By meditating on emptiness, formlessness and
passionlessness, this will allow you, with a few lifetimes of diligent
practice, to recognize the three liberation's of the ego and the
dharma as being empty, the dharma as formless and this eventually the
recognition of living is an unworthy desire as our existence is
characterized by suffering.
Practitioners that will escape samsara can best be described as barley
leaving a trace or ripple on their life and slipping by unnoticed when
they depart to avoid rebirth. Others will argue they 'are noticed' and
this is what distinguishes them from being reborn again. In either
case, it is a 'specialized life' that allows them to escape samsara
and the 'why is it so' is not as important as the 'how it is so.'
Every step they take barely has weight on the earth and is more of a
caress than a step. Their breathing hardly disturbs the air and every
breath in and out has reverence in it and mindfulness. TNH describes
this in his peace is every step book. Such practitioners are
passionless and desireless and as such they are tethered to nothing in
life, not even the thought of escaping it. Their actions are of no
karmic consequence and after some lifetimes of this type of practice
they can slip away unnoticed.
Personally, I am not concerned with developing this type of 'escape'
practice and only played around with it for my own edification. The
trouble is with many a practitioner is they say they are serious, but
in reality are just playing around and deluding themselves. They might
practice Buddhism as a hobby or to pass time or to escape the troubles
in their life, but that is it. Just burning incense and chanting is
not going to do much when it comes to escape vehicles. Oh well, it may
be a useful pastime to escape a delusional life? Of the three
unwholesome roots, delusion is the most important one. For it is basic
to any successful Buddhist practice to dispel such delusions,
otherwise you can see little else clearly.
Karl Marx said - religion is the opium of the masses. Many of us need
such 'drugs' as a way to not face thoughts and fears of dying. This is
what many of us run from with our various 'concentrations' and
'distractions' we tie our minds up with trying to avoid the thought of
death. Better to accept life, as well as death and then you can be at
peace with it as part of natural law. This frees the mind to look for
truth instead of drugs. But just freeing oneself from the fear or
delusions of Yahweh is not the answer for finding inner peace. The
wrong living atheist need distractions as well from the ugly lives
they have created for themselves, just as every other person does that
fits this equation.
The formula for failure is: Authentic Nature + Wrong Actions =
Destruction
The formula for success is: Authentic Nature + Right Actions = Peace
See:
http://jesusneverexisted.org/jne/forum/index.php?topic=342.0
The distractions atheists use to escape life are their constant
battling with the theists and their hatred and defiance against
anything related to spiritual guidance. Now, all atheists are not of
this sort. Some atheists are spiritually based and some are defiance
based, but that is a different post.
See:
http://jesusneverexisted.org/jne/forum/index.php?topic=380.0
Getting back to Buddhism, I would rather see Buddhism be used in
realistic and practical ways to develop a life of peace generation,
both inner and outer peace in this world. Now, this is a real goal
that all can achieve with such a practice. This way living in such a
peace based world will not be viewed as hell, but as joy and
compassion. Sure there are bumps and bruises along the way for all,
but it goes with the territory of life. When I kayak and flip I get
beat up on the rocks...it goes with the territory, but I enjoy the
rest of the ride. If you look at the population it is not
declining...escaping rebirth very impractical.
I guess it is a fantasy for most, just as heaven is a fantasy to those
not believing in Christian doctrine. In either practice though, it is
much better to be peace based and make this a life of acceptance and
peace instead of one to dread, a life that one would not mind living
indefinitely and one that you were happy to live in any case.
Unfortunately when I talk of a practice based on inner peace most
people are dumbfounded, or as one Buddhist practitioner asked me,
'what is your great attraction to inner peace and happiness?" - as he
could see little benefit in such a practice.
I have become somewhat aquatinted with a newer form of Buddhist
practice...Won Buddhism. Here is a short snip from their site about
what Won is and what they work towards.
Practical Application of Won Buddhism
"Although the teaching of the Buddha embodies supreme truth and
skillful means to save sentient beings from misery, the Buddhist
system was formed mainly for the life of monks in the monastic order
and was not suitable for people living in the secular world. Anyone
who wished to he a true Buddhist under such a system, had to ignore
one's duties and obligations to the secular life and give up one's
occupation. Under such a system, the Buddha-grace, no matter how great
the Buddha-dharma may be, cannot reach the numberless sentient beings
of the world. Thus, Won Buddhism teaches that a Buddhist should not be
shackled to the Buddha- dharma and Buddhist system or disabled to
manage the worldly affairs as in the past.
A Buddhist should be able to manage the worldly affairs better by
being a Buddhist. In other words, one should not become useless to the
world by being a Buddhist. By making a lively application of the
Buddha-dharma, one should be a valuable person to oneself, one's
family, one's society and one's country. Thus, one of the mottos of
Won Buddhism reads: Do not separate the Buddha-dharma from daily life;
Realize the Buddha-dharma in daily life. The Buddha-dharma here means
only those most fundamental teachings which are simple enough and
potent enough to deliver all sentient beings suffering in the sea of
misery."
For more information about won Buddhism go to:
http://www.wonbuddhism.info/index.html
Now, I do not know that much about this sect, so do not hold me to any
shortcomings in my recommendation. If it is what it says it is, then a
Won practice is what the vast majority of Buddhists would fall into
that do not wish to be monks or nuns, yet wish to derive benefits from
their practice as well as to help others.
To get back to the subject at hand - a snip from Bhikkhu Bodhi on
suffering:
"The Buddha does not merely touch the problem of suffering
tangentially; he makes it, rather, the very cornerstone of his
teaching. He starts the Four Noble Truths that sum up his message with
the announcement that life is inseparably tied to something he calls
dukkha. The Pali word is often translated as suffering, but it means
something deeper than pain and misery. It refers to a basic
unsatisfactoriness running through our lives, the lives of all but the
enlightened. Sometimes this unsatisfactoriness erupts into the open as
sorrow, grief, disappointment, or despair; but usually it hovers at
the edge of our awareness as a vague unlocalized sense that things are
never quite perfect, never fully adequate to our expectations of what
they should be. This fact of dukkha, the Buddha says, is the only real
spiritual problem."
V reponds to Bhikkhu Bodhi:
Yes, the above is true...but Bhikkhu Bodhi also touches on an
important concept that can help us find peace in this life when he
writes:
"a basic unsatisfactoriness running through our lives, the lives of
all but the enlightened."
You see, a person cannot be at peace within and with all with their
current life if they are always trying to escape life out of fear and
hatred for living it and feeling regret for it as a burden unjustly
imposed on them. No, such a person is not an enlightened being nor is
he or she even pointed in the right direction for reaching
enlightenment - other than to say he or she needs to look in the
'opposite' direction from where they are looking. An old saying tells
us, "A diamond cannot be polished without friction." So, by applying
the 'rule of opposites', the once unenlightened mind, can use this
'friction' or former despair to help them turn around to find peace.
This is why I always stress to look at the extremes and every option
in between to find the answer. For if one direction doesn't work, the
opposite direction or a blending of the two just might. Unfortunately,
when 'self rules self' the mind is stubborn and fixated on the being
right and there are few options to try when the ego rules the roost.
Develop 'self without self' and look for universal truth for the
answer you seek. The truth is that which doesn't not change, whereas
'self' always changes.
Mixing the Eastern and Western philosophy is tough sometimes as the
East puts mind before heart and the West tends to put heart before
mind. If we go back to the basics of Buddhism we can check our
progression as to why there is any dissatisfaction in our progress for
finding peace. In Buddhist threefold training we train in moral
discipline, we train the mind and we train in wisdom. The training in
moral discipline or 'precepts' brings one enough initial peace to
advance to the other disciplines which require more work. Training the
mind helps concentrate it as well as calm it, so one may see things in
clear light with wisdom training. But without removing the basic
obstacles to our growth, we cannot go onto more advanced training
successfully.
For wisdom is the final destination for the enlightened mind, as you
can have concentration and calmness, but still not possess wisdom or
enlightenment. Calmness and concentration are prerequisites to
enlightenment, they are not guarantees of enlightenment. For
enlightenment we need to bring the heart and the mind together for
balance. When trained in properly, these three areas help with
discerning truth and being at peace with it and this quality of being
at peace with ourselves as well as with others is the foundation for
enlightenment.
I have only brought all this up to help dispel some delusions in
practitioners. As I said above, the three unwholesome roots of
delusions, greed and hate are very basic to a practice. Out of these
three, delusion is the foundational root, for without seeing delusions
for what they are, you cannot distinguish the other two unwholesome
roots of greed and hate. But this is only restating the eightfold path
of right actions, right thoughts, right view, right intentions, right
livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration.
As I have mentioned before, a wooden Buddha will not get through a
fire, a clay Buddha will not get through the ocean and a bronze Buddha
will not get though a furnace.
But, a clay Buddha can get through the furnace and turn to stone, a
wooden Buddha can float across a river and a bronze Buddha will
withstand a fire. So I use many tools to find peace and do not limit
myself. I do not write on this topic to try to force a change on your
journey or goals with your Buddhist practice. Only you can do that and
that change must come from within you as a real and authentic change
in your nature. But, if you have no goals or path to follow, maybe
this post will 'awaken you' to finding one? I make no claim to have
the 'last word' on this subject. I can only share how I practice and
find peace with it in this life. When we put our peace first we will
be awakened to a new life that we can 'live' with serenely.
In the book "The Miracle of Mindfulness." it says: "If while washing
dishes we think only of the tea that awaits us...then we are not
'washing the dishes.' If we can't wash the dishes, chances are we
won't be able to drink our tea either." So it goes with a person that
focusses their attention always to the future at some distant hope of
finding the happiness through death to replace the lack of happiness
that they cannot find in the present. I prefer to practice mindfulness
of my life in the present moment. As such, I work to make the present
moment peaceful when I have a say in the matter and make it one that I
do not need to escape from through fixating on the future hopes of
escaping life. And when I do not have a say in the matter, I am at
peace with this road also.
I practice for inner peace, but also it might be termed enlightenment.
Buddhism provides this tool, which is just one out of the many tools I
use for peace development. For once we have found a contentment within
and with all and are at peace - we are progressing on the road to
enlightenment. You can also tell when you have "arrived" by your
practice telling you so. Does your practice revolve around actually
practicing what you have learned to generate peace within or are you
on a never ending journey of always looking and never finding?
I look at pain and suffering as part of natural law. I accept it as
part of life and look at this as growing pains. Humans are not
singled out in this area as every animate and most inanimate object
suffer from impermanence as well. While inanimate objects do not
suffer pain for the most part they would if they felt the changes
happening to them...the rocks crumbling or the earth splitting.
Nothing can live without experiencing pain - it is natural law and not
just karma. Without this pain of impermanence we could not digest food
nor could we even experience taste.
The embryo could not grow or rain fall from the sky.
Sometimes we can get blinded to the big picture when we concentrate on
the minutia. I find many problems can be solved with a simple
acceptance of what IS. Now, an area that humans can cause great
suffering is through their actions. In this area we do have some
control over our suffering and the suffering of others as all our
actions have consequences and many of our actions are producing
consequences that rob of us and others of peace.
Once I am at peace, I can share with others about finding peace for
themselves, which is the secondary reason I practice. I have no
interest in practicing Buddhism for extinguishing reincarnation. Such
"fear based" reasons for being a Buddhist are not authentic or natural
- the persons actions are based on fear or negative consequences
otherwise they would not do them. My actions are based on inner peace
and if I stray - there goes my peace - it is my choice. I enjoy life
and realize that due to natural law, suffering comes about as part of
the process and I accept it as a fair trade off for the privilege of
living, so I would enjoy any reincarnation if given the privilege.
Buddhism helps makes this trade off of life and pain more in my favor
by lending me support to live a life at peace in the present. I do not
practice Buddhism to earn merit for the next life - I practice
Buddhism for my own peace generation in THIS LIFE.
If you would like to try another path to peace other than destruction
of ones existence, try the path of the Bodhisattva. The world is ripe
with those living in misery. There are no shortage of customers for
you to offer peace to. And as you instill seeds of peace within
others, you plant the same seeds and water these seeds within you as
well. As you give so you receive. I hope you can find the same
contentment within your life as I have found through Buddhism. And if
you still wish to work towards extinguishing samsara, then by all
means go in that direction. Give up your current life, all attachments
and tethers and start on a new life this very instant by taking that
first step and shutting your computer down for good.
Take care,
V (Male)
Agnostic Freethinker
Practical Philosopher
AA#2
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| User: "Robibnikoff" |
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| Title: Re: Bilbo the Buddhist??? |
13 Apr 2007 01:34:11 PM |
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"V" <vfr44@aol.com> wrote in
snip
V:
I am not a Buddhist. I am an *****.
--
Robyn
Resident Witchypoo
BAAWA Knight!
#1557
.
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| User: "Al Klein" |
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| Title: Re: Bilbo the Buddhist??? |
13 Apr 2007 10:55:35 PM |
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On Fri, 13 Apr 2007 14:34:11 -0400, "Robibnikoff"
<witchypoo@broomstick.com> wrote:
"V" <vfr44@aol.com> wrote in
snip
V:
I am not a Buddhist. I am an *****.
There he goes again, trying to make himself look better than he
actually is.
.
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| User: "Mark K. Bilbo" |
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| Title: Re: Bilbo the Buddhist??? |
15 Apr 2007 06:13:55 AM |
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On Fri, 13 Apr 2007 15:34:11 -0400, Robibnikoff wrote:
"V" <vfr44@aol.com> wrote in
snip
V:
I am not a Buddhist. I am an *****.
Hey, hey, hey!
Is he trying to claim he's an *****? That's *my* job dammit!
--
Mark K. Bilbo a.a. #1423
EAC Department of Linguistic Subversion
------------------------------------------------------------
"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace
alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing
it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary."
- H. L. Mencken
.
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| User: "Robibnikoff" |
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| Title: Re: Bilbo the Buddhist??? |
15 Apr 2007 06:54:36 AM |
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"Mark K. Bilbo" <gmail@com.mkbilbo> wrote in message
news:pan.2007.04.15.11.13.54.283562@com.mkbilbo...
On Fri, 13 Apr 2007 15:34:11 -0400, Robibnikoff wrote:
"V" <vfr44@aol.com> wrote in
snip
V:
I am not a Buddhist. I am an *****.
Hey, hey, hey!
Is he trying to claim he's an *****? That's *my* job dammit!
Sorry, and I hate to break it to you, but V's more of an ***** than you
are ;)
Though I highly doubt he could ever come close to me in rabid beyotch
potential :)
--
Robyn
Resident Witchypoo
BAAWA Knight!
#1557
.
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| User: "Mark K. Bilbo" |
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| Title: Re: Bilbo the Buddhist??? |
15 Apr 2007 08:36:24 AM |
|
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On Sun, 15 Apr 2007 08:54:36 -0400, Robibnikoff wrote:
"Mark K. Bilbo" <gmail@com.mkbilbo> wrote in message
news:pan.2007.04.15.11.13.54.283562@com.mkbilbo...
On Fri, 13 Apr 2007 15:34:11 -0400, Robibnikoff wrote:
"V" <vfr44@aol.com> wrote in
snip
V:
I am not a Buddhist. I am an *****.
Hey, hey, hey!
Is he trying to claim he's an *****? That's *my* job dammit!
Sorry, and I hate to break it to you, but V's more of an ***** than you
are ;)
Why are you being so mean?
Though I highly doubt he could ever come close to me in rabid beyotch
potential :)
Is that a challenge?
--
Mark K. Bilbo a.a. #1423
EAC Department of Linguistic Subversion
------------------------------------------------------------
"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace
alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing
it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary."
- H. L. Mencken
.
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| User: "Robibnikoff" |
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| Title: Re: Bilbo the Buddhist??? |
15 Apr 2007 12:23:50 PM |
|
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"Mark K. Bilbo" <gmail@com.mkbilbo> wrote in message
news:pan.2007.04.15.13.36.23.816730@com.mkbilbo...
On Sun, 15 Apr 2007 08:54:36 -0400, Robibnikoff wrote:
"Mark K. Bilbo" <gmail@com.mkbilbo> wrote in message
news:pan.2007.04.15.11.13.54.283562@com.mkbilbo...
On Fri, 13 Apr 2007 15:34:11 -0400, Robibnikoff wrote:
"V" <vfr44@aol.com> wrote in
snip
V:
I am not a Buddhist. I am an *****.
Hey, hey, hey!
Is he trying to claim he's an *****? That's *my* job dammit!
Sorry, and I hate to break it to you, but V's more of an ***** than you
are ;)
Why are you being so mean?
I'm cranky! The goddamned bathroom STILL isn't finished, George has another
week in Texas, the kid's up my butt and both cats want to sit in my lap
constantly. I need a f'ing break! (Which is why I'm going to disappear
into the local bookstore in about 5 minutes)
Though I highly doubt he could ever come close to me in rabid beyotch
potential :)
Is that a challenge?
I guarantee that no one would be up to it today :P
--
Robyn
Resident Witchypoo
BAAWA Knight!
#1557
.
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| User: "Mark K. Bilbo" |
|
| Title: Re: Bilbo the Buddhist??? |
15 Apr 2007 11:57:03 PM |
|
|
On Sun, 15 Apr 2007 14:23:50 -0400, Robibnikoff wrote:
"Mark K. Bilbo" <gmail@com.mkbilbo> wrote in message
news:pan.2007.04.15.13.36.23.816730@com.mkbilbo...
On Sun, 15 Apr 2007 08:54:36 -0400, Robibnikoff wrote:
"Mark K. Bilbo" <gmail@com.mkbilbo> wrote in message
news:pan.2007.04.15.11.13.54.283562@com.mkbilbo...
On Fri, 13 Apr 2007 15:34:11 -0400, Robibnikoff wrote:
"V" <vfr44@aol.com> wrote in
snip
V:
I am not a Buddhist. I am an *****.
Hey, hey, hey!
Is he trying to claim he's an *****? That's *my* job dammit!
Sorry, and I hate to break it to you, but V's more of an ***** than
you are ;)
Why are you being so mean?
I'm cranky! The goddamned bathroom STILL isn't finished, George has
another week in Texas, the kid's up my butt and both cats want to sit in
my lap constantly. I need a f'ing break! (Which is why I'm going to
disappear into the local bookstore in about 5 minutes)
Uh oh.
<backing slowly away smiling>
Though I highly doubt he could ever come close to me in rabid beyotch
potential :)
Is that a challenge?
I guarantee that no one would be up to it today :P
I dunno. I'm faced with a recalcitrant tax preparation program that keeps
insisting on doing things like putting "dummy entries" in the "paid
preparer" section and then complaining about them. But if I delete them,
it puts them back and reports the "error".
And the software that can handle the estate's return stubbornly printed
"draft" all over the forms I was trying to print out tonight for mailing
tomorrow until I "updated" my software. And since that program ONLY runs
on Windreck, I had to borrow a laptop from my brother and then it took
most of this evening just to get the freaking Windows XtraPuke to use the
shared Net connection with my iMac (because, heaven forbid we allow
Windows XtraPoop to work with any non-Microsoft products). Which time
included an hour or so of digging for routing information on my Mac and
hand entering it on the Windick XtraProblems machine SO IT CAN SIT THERE
ON THE DESK DOWNLOADING FOR ALMOST A FUCKING HOUR NOW AND SAYS IT'S ALL OF
7% FINISHED PROCESSING WHATEVER THE FUCKING ***** IT'S PROCESSING!!!
Oh and the Post Office didn't deliver an Amazon order yesterday because I
"wasn't home" which was a real surprise to both me and the dogs and I'm
still wondering where I went. I should at least leave myself a note when I
leave so I'll know I was gone. All this time, I thought I was going over
the 1041 for the estate and never left the house. Silly me. They *say they
left a "notice" but my mailbox has been utterly bare since Friday.
My email to the USPS started out reasonable but ended more or less with,
"The carrier is lying his ***** off, he didn't even come out here Saturday".
I *know he didn't. My regular carrier is great but whoever does Saturday
half the time doesn't even bother to show up. And I'm in a foul enough
mood about tax time I'm hoping to get somebody fired.
And it's now midnight at it's 27% done "processing".
I'm passing rabid ***** and heading right into super-***** on wheels...
--
Mark K. Bilbo a.a. #1423
EAC Department of Linguistic Subversion
------------------------------------------------------------
"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace
alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing
it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary."
- H. L. Mencken
.
|
|
|
| User: "Robibnikoff" |
|
| Title: Re: Bilbo the Buddhist??? |
16 Apr 2007 03:35:22 PM |
|
|
"Mark K. Bilbo" <gmail@com.mkbilbo> wrote in message
news:pan.2007.04.16.04.56.47.145265@com.mkbilbo...
On Sun, 15 Apr 2007 14:23:50 -0400, Robibnikoff wrote:
"Mark K. Bilbo" <gmail@com.mkbilbo> wrote in message
news:pan.2007.04.15.13.36.23.816730@com.mkbilbo...
On Sun, 15 Apr 2007 08:54:36 -0400, Robibnikoff wrote:
"Mark K. Bilbo" <gmail@com.mkbilbo> wrote in message
news:pan.2007.04.15.11.13.54.283562@com.mkbilbo...
On Fri, 13 Apr 2007 15:34:11 -0400, Robibnikoff wrote:
"V" <vfr44@aol.com> wrote in
snip
V:
I am not a Buddhist. I am an *****.
Hey, hey, hey!
Is he trying to claim he's an *****? That's *my* job dammit!
Sorry, and I hate to break it to you, but V's more of an ***** than
you are ;)
Why are you being so mean?
I'm cranky! The goddamned bathroom STILL isn't finished, George has
another week in Texas, the kid's up my butt and both cats want to sit in
my lap constantly. I need a f'ing break! (Which is why I'm going to
disappear into the local bookstore in about 5 minutes)
Uh oh.
<backing slowly away smiling>
Though I highly doubt he could ever come close to me in rabid beyotch
potential :)
Is that a challenge?
I guarantee that no one would be up to it today :P
I dunno. I'm faced with a recalcitrant tax preparation program that keeps
insisting on doing things like putting "dummy entries" in the "paid
preparer" section and then complaining about them. But if I delete them,
it puts them back and reports the "error".
Oh dear. As much as I loathe to play the helpless female role, I DO let
George handle the taxes. Damn bum's got to do something around here ;)
And the software that can handle the estate's return stubbornly printed
"draft" all over the forms I was trying to print out tonight for mailing
tomorrow until I "updated" my software. And since that program ONLY runs
on Windreck, I had to borrow a laptop from my brother and then it took
most of this evening just to get the freaking Windows XtraPuke to use the
shared Net connection with my iMac (because, heaven forbid we allow
Windows XtraPoop to work with any non-Microsoft products). Which time
included an hour or so of digging for routing information on my Mac and
hand entering it on the Windick XtraProblems machine SO IT CAN SIT THERE
ON THE DESK DOWNLOADING FOR ALMOST A FUCKING HOUR NOW AND SAYS IT'S ALL OF
7% FINISHED PROCESSING WHATEVER THE FUCKING ***** IT'S PROCESSING!!!
Yikes :O
Oh and the Post Office didn't deliver an Amazon order yesterday because I
"wasn't home" which was a real surprise to both me and the dogs and I'm
still wondering where I went. I should at least leave myself a note when I
leave so I'll know I was gone. All this time, I thought I was going over
the 1041 for the estate and never left the house. Silly me. They *say they
left a "notice" but my mailbox has been utterly bare since Friday.
Those bastards!
My email to the USPS started out reasonable but ended more or less with,
"The carrier is lying his ***** off, he didn't even come out here Saturday".
I *know he didn't. My regular carrier is great but whoever does Saturday
half the time doesn't even bother to show up. And I'm in a foul enough
mood about tax time I'm hoping to get somebody fired.
And it's now midnight at it's 27% done "processing".
I'm passing rabid ***** and heading right into super-***** on wheels...
<backing out the door quiet>
Run away!
--
Robyn
Resident Witchypoo
BAAWA Knight!
#1557
.
|
|
|
| User: "Mark K. Bilbo" |
|
| Title: Re: Bilbo the Buddhist??? |
16 Apr 2007 06:07:13 PM |
|
|
On Mon, 16 Apr 2007 17:35:22 -0400, Robibnikoff wrote:
"Mark K. Bilbo" <gmail@com.mkbilbo> wrote in message
news:pan.2007.04.16.04.56.47.145265@com.mkbilbo...
On Sun, 15 Apr 2007 14:23:50 -0400, Robibnikoff wrote:
"Mark K. Bilbo" <gmail@com.mkbilbo> wrote in message
news:pan.2007.04.15.13.36.23.816730@com.mkbilbo...
On Sun, 15 Apr 2007 08:54:36 -0400, Robibnikoff wrote:
"Mark K. Bilbo" <gmail@com.mkbilbo> wrote in message
news:pan.2007.04.15.11.13.54.283562@com.mkbilbo...
On Fri, 13 Apr 2007 15:34:11 -0400, Robibnikoff wrote:
"V" <vfr44@aol.com> wrote in
snip
V:
I am not a Buddhist. I am an *****.
Hey, hey, hey!
Is he trying to claim he's an *****? That's *my* job dammit!
Sorry, and I hate to break it to you, but V's more of an ***** than
you are ;)
Why are you being so mean?
I'm cranky! The goddamned bathroom STILL isn't finished, George has
another week in Texas, the kid's up my butt and both cats want to sit
in my lap constantly. I need a f'ing break! (Which is why I'm going
to disappear into the local bookstore in about 5 minutes)
Uh oh.
<backing slowly away smiling>
Though I highly doubt he could ever come close to me in rabid beyotch
potential :)
Is that a challenge?
I guarantee that no one would be up to it today :P
I dunno. I'm faced with a recalcitrant tax preparation program that
keeps insisting on doing things like putting "dummy entries" in the
"paid preparer" section and then complaining about them. But if I delete
them, it puts them back and reports the "error".
Oh dear. As much as I loathe to play the helpless female role, I DO let
George handle the taxes. Damn bum's got to do something around here ;)
And the software that can handle the estate's return stubbornly printed
"draft" all over the forms I was trying to print out tonight for mailing
tomorrow until I "updated" my software. And since that program ONLY runs
on Windreck, I had to borrow a laptop from my brother and then it took
most of this evening just to get the freaking Windows XtraPuke to use
the shared Net connection with my iMac (because, heaven forbid we allow
Windows XtraPoop to work with any non-Microsoft products). Which time
included an hour or so of digging for routing information on my Mac and
hand entering it on the Windick XtraProblems machine SO IT CAN SIT THERE
ON THE DESK DOWNLOADING FOR ALMOST A FUCKING HOUR NOW AND SAYS IT'S ALL
OF 7% FINISHED PROCESSING WHATEVER THE FUCKING ***** IT'S PROCESSING!!!
Yikes :O
Oh and the Post Office didn't deliver an Amazon order yesterday because
I "wasn't home" which was a real surprise to both me and the dogs and
I'm still wondering where I went. I should at least leave myself a note
when I leave so I'll know I was gone. All this time, I thought I was
going over the 1041 for the estate and never left the house. Silly me.
They *say they left a "notice" but my mailbox has been utterly bare
since Friday.
Those bastards!
My email to the USPS started out reasonable but ended more or less with,
"The carrier is lying his ***** off, he didn't even come out here
Saturday".
I *know he didn't. My regular carrier is great but whoever does Saturday
half the time doesn't even bother to show up. And I'm in a foul enough
mood about tax time I'm hoping to get somebody fired.
And it's now midnight at it's 27% done "processing".
I'm passing rabid ***** and heading right into super-***** on wheels...
<backing out the door quiet>
Run away!
Don't worry, three of six (I thought there were five but I was wrong,
there are six) are signed, sealed, addressed, and ready to go to the PO
first thing tomorrow morning.
And I just got a Xanax prescription from my doctor this past week.
I'm sooooooo calm.
(And I have Children of Men qued up in the DVD player and Ben & Jerry's in
the freezer)
And did I mention I'm really, really, reeeeeeeeeeally calm now?
--
Mark K. Bilbo a.a. #1423
EAC Department of Linguistic Subversion
------------------------------------------------------------
"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace
alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing
it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary."
- H. L. Mencken
.
|
|
|
| User: "Lisbeth Andersson" |
|
| Title: Re: Bilbo the Buddhist??? |
16 Apr 2007 06:53:40 PM |
|
|
"Mark K. Bilbo" <gmail@com.mkbilbo> wrote in
news:pan.2007.04.16.23.07.11.255394@com.mkbilbo:
On Mon, 16 Apr 2007 17:35:22 -0400, Robibnikoff wrote:
"Mark K. Bilbo" <gmail@com.mkbilbo> wrote in message
news:pan.2007.04.16.04.56.47.145265@com.mkbilbo...
On Sun, 15 Apr 2007 14:23:50 -0400, Robibnikoff wrote:
"Mark K. Bilbo" <gmail@com.mkbilbo> wrote in message
news:pan.2007.04.15.13.36.23.816730@com.mkbilbo...
On Sun, 15 Apr 2007 08:54:36 -0400, Robibnikoff wrote:
"Mark K. Bilbo" <gmail@com.mkbilbo> wrote in message
news:pan.2007.04.15.11.13.54.283562@com.mkbilbo...
On Fri, 13 Apr 2007 15:34:11 -0400, Robibnikoff wrote:
"V" <vfr44@aol.com> wrote in
snip
V:
I am not a Buddhist. I am an *****.
Hey, hey, hey!
Is he trying to claim he's an *****? That's *my* job
dammit!
Sorry, and I hate to break it to you, but V's more of an
***** than you are ;)
Why are you being so mean?
I'm cranky! The goddamned bathroom STILL isn't finished,
George has another week in Texas, the kid's up my butt and
both cats want to sit in my lap constantly. I need a f'ing
break! (Which is why I'm going to disappear into the local
bookstore in about 5 minutes)
Uh oh.
<backing slowly away smiling>
Though I highly doubt he could ever come close to me in
rabid beyotch potential :)
Is that a challenge?
I guarantee that no one would be up to it today :P
I dunno. I'm faced with a recalcitrant tax preparation program
that keeps insisting on doing things like putting "dummy
entries" in the "paid preparer" section and then complaining
about them. But if I delete them, it puts them back and reports
the "error".
Oh dear. As much as I loathe to play the helpless female role, I
DO let George handle the taxes. Damn bum's got to do something
around here ;)
And the software that can handle the estate's return stubbornly
printed "draft" all over the forms I was trying to print out
tonight for mailing tomorrow until I "updated" my software. And
since that program ONLY runs on Windreck, I had to borrow a
laptop from my brother and then it took most of this evening
just to get the freaking Windows XtraPuke to use the shared Net
connection with my iMac (because, heaven forbid we allow
Windows XtraPoop to work with any non-Microsoft products).
Which time included an hour or so of digging for routing
information on my Mac and hand entering it on the Windick
XtraProblems machine SO IT CAN SIT THERE ON THE DESK
DOWNLOADING FOR ALMOST A FUCKING HOUR NOW AND SAYS IT'S ALL
OF 7% FINISHED PROCESSING WHATEVER THE FUCKING ***** IT'S
PROCESSING!!!
Yikes :O
Oh and the Post Office didn't deliver an Amazon order yesterday
because I "wasn't home" which was a real surprise to both me
and the dogs and I'm still wondering where I went. I should at
least leave myself a note when I leave so I'll know I was gone.
All this time, I thought I was going over the 1041 for the
estate and never left the house. Silly me. They *say they left
a "notice" but my mailbox has been utterly bare since Friday.
Those bastards!
My email to the USPS started out reasonable but ended more or
less with, "The carrier is lying his ***** off, he didn't even
come out here Saturday".
I *know he didn't. My regular carrier is great but whoever does
Saturday half the time doesn't even bother to show up. And I'm
in a foul enough mood about tax time I'm hoping to get somebody
fired.
And it's now midnight at it's 27% done "processing".
I'm passing rabid ***** and heading right into super-***** on
wheels...
<backing out the door quiet>
Run away!
Don't worry, three of six (I thought there were five but I was
wrong, there are six) are signed, sealed, addressed, and ready to
go to the PO first thing tomorrow morning.
And I just got a Xanax prescription from my doctor this past
week.
I'm sooooooo calm.
(And I have Children of Men qued up in the DVD player and Ben &
Jerry's in the freezer)
And did I mention I'm really, really, reeeeeeeeeeally calm now?
This might not be the best time to mention that the whole business
with taxes took about 15 minutes, and I had confirmation that the
authorities have received the stuff. The time for walking to the
mailbox to mail an extra payment is not included in the above
estimated time. <Really evil grin>.
No, I really will not mention that.
Lisbeth.
----
The day I don't learn anything new is the day I die.
*What we know is not nearly as interesting as *how we know it.
--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com
.
|
|
|
| User: "Harry F. Leopold" |
|
| Title: Re: Bilbo the Buddhist??? |
16 Apr 2007 10:00:51 PM |
|
|
On Mon, 16 Apr 2007 18:53:40 -0500, Lisbeth Andersson wrote
(in article <Xns99151C05FB40lisandbredbandnet@66.150.105.47>):
<backing out the door quiet>
Run away!
Don't worry, three of six (I thought there were five but I was
wrong, there are six) are signed, sealed, addressed, and ready to
go to the PO first thing tomorrow morning.
And I just got a Xanax prescription from my doctor this past
week.
I'm sooooooo calm.
(And I have Children of Men qued up in the DVD player and Ben &
Jerry's in the freezer)
And did I mention I'm really, really, reeeeeeeeeeally calm now?
This might not be the best time to mention that the whole business with taxes
took about 15 minutes, and I had confirmation that the authorities have
received the stuff. The time for walking to the mailbox to mail an extra
payment is not included in the above estimated time. <Really evil grin>.
No, I really will not mention that.
About the same here, sent off the tax forms the first week of Feb., by mail,
got my state return, by mail, 10 days later. The federal return took a whole
3 weeks to be received.
Doing the taxes took me about 30 minutes. A good part of that was trying to
find where Diane had put the stamps.
--
Harry F. Leopold
aa #2076
AA/Vet #4
The Prints of Darkness
(remove gene to email)
³I'm sorry, son, but there's nothing we can do for you. There's no cure for
stupid.³ - John Baker
.
|
|
|
|
| User: "Mark K. Bilbo" |
|
| Title: Re: Bilbo the Buddhist??? |
18 Apr 2007 09:55:55 AM |
|
|
On Tue, 17 Apr 2007 00:53:40 +0000, Lisbeth Andersson wrote:
"Mark K. Bilbo" <gmail@com.mkbilbo> wrote in
news:pan.2007.04.16.23.07.11.255394@com.mkbilbo:
On Mon, 16 Apr 2007 17:35:22 -0400, Robibnikoff wrote:
"Mark K. Bilbo" <gmail@com.mkbilbo> wrote in message
news:pan.2007.04.16.04.56.47.145265@com.mkbilbo...
On Sun, 15 Apr 2007 14:23:50 -0400, Robibnikoff wrote:
"Mark K. Bilbo" <gmail@com.mkbilbo> wrote in message
news:pan.2007.04.15.13.36.23.816730@com.mkbilbo...
On Sun, 15 Apr 2007 08:54:36 -0400, Robibnikoff wrote:
"Mark K. Bilbo" <gmail@com.mkbilbo> wrote in message
news:pan.2007.04.15.11.13.54.283562@com.mkbilbo...
On Fri, 13 Apr 2007 15:34:11 -0400, Robibnikoff wrote:
"V" <vfr44@aol.com> wrote in
snip
V:
I am not a Buddhist. I am an *****.
Hey, hey, hey!
Is he trying to claim he's an *****? That's *my* job
dammit!
Sorry, and I hate to break it to you, but V's more of an
***** than you are ;)
Why are you being so mean?
I'm cranky! The goddamned bathroom STILL isn't finished,
George has another week in Texas, the kid's up my butt and
both cats want to sit in my lap constantly. I need a f'ing
break! (Which is why I'm going to disappear into the local
bookstore in about 5 minutes)
Uh oh.
<backing slowly away smiling>
Though I highly doubt he could ever come close to me in
rabid beyotch potential :)
Is that a challenge?
I guarantee that no one would be up to it today :P
I dunno. I'm faced with a recalcitrant tax preparation program
that keeps insisting on doing things like putting "dummy
entries" in the "paid preparer" section and then complaining
about them. But if I delete them, it puts them back and reports
the "error".
Oh dear. As much as I loathe to play the helpless female role, I
DO let George handle the taxes. Damn bum's got to do something
around here ;)
And the software that can handle the estate's return stubbornly
printed "draft" all over the forms I was trying to print out
tonight for mailing tomorrow until I "updated" my software. And
since that program ONLY runs on Windreck, I had to borrow a
laptop from my brother and then it took most of this evening
just to get the freaking Windows XtraPuke to use the shared Net
connection with my iMac (because, heaven forbid we allow
Windows XtraPoop to work with any non-Microsoft products).
Which time included an hour or so of digging for routing
information on my Mac and hand entering it on the Windick
XtraProblems machine SO IT CAN SIT THERE ON THE DESK
DOWNLOADING FOR ALMOST A FUCKING HOUR NOW AND SAYS IT'S ALL
OF 7% FINISHED PROCESSING WHATEVER THE FUCKING ***** IT'S
PROCESSING!!!
Yikes :O
Oh and the Post Office didn't deliver an Amazon order yesterday
because I "wasn't home" which was a real surprise to both me
and the dogs and I'm still wondering where | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
