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News Briefs 13-09-2012

Sorry, your Holiness: You may have a Facebook & Twitter account, but I’ll just wait until the next reincarnation.

Big thanks to Rick & Greg.

Quote of the Day:

“All the world’s major religions, with their emphasis on love, compassion, patience, tolerance, and forgiveness can and do promote inner values. But the reality of the world today is that grounding ethics in religion is no longer adequate. This is why I am increasingly convinced that the time has come to find a way of thinking about spirituality and ethics beyond religion altogether.”

~Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama

  1. Acupuncture and Placebo
    I do not understand why the average mass media commentator does not understand a fundamental idea about placebo effects. A huge part of the placebo effect is focus and visualization. Needles strategically placed in the skin lure the mind into concentrating on those areas and giving them its full attention. There are other less invasive ways to achieve healing effects, but these simple procedures have great utility and don’t require a lot of training in mediation or yoga. Ultimately the body is healing itself. We may not yet have a good grasp as to how it is doing so, but we will probably eventually work that out and discover that the body is using its own “drugs” to heal itself. Then we will no longer use the term placebo because the healing effect will have been traced to endogenous substances just as real as any drug on the shelf.

  2. “All the world’s major
    “All the world’s major religions, with their emphasis on love, compassion, patience, tolerance, and forgiveness can and do promote inner values. But the reality of the world today is that grounding ethics in religion is no longer adequate. This is why I am increasingly convinced that the time has come to find a way of thinking about spirituality and ethics beyond religion altogether.”

    ~Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama

    That idea is as old as the hills. Jiddhu Krishnamurti had been saying that since the 1920’s when he broke away from Theosophy and organized religion entirely. I do wonder if the Lama is familiar with JK. He is a well read man as i have heard, so how can he be arriving at these ideas so tardily? Perhaps it is just a case of him finally thinking the religious mileu in which he floats is able to withstand these challenges.

    1. Krishnamurti
      Yeah, but he wasn’t the official leader of one of the most important organized religions in the world. Imagine the Pope tweeting that going to mass on Sunday was kind of pointless 😉

      1. Buddhist Mojo
        [quote=red pill junkie]Yeah, but he wasn’t the official leader of one of the most important organized religions in the world.[/quote]

        The Dalai Lama is the leader of Tibet, not Buddhism. Most Buddhists don’t consider Buddhism an “organised religion” either. Actually, the answer (there’s no avoiding Zen) is yes and no. It is what you make of it.

        As for the Dalai Lama’s comments, he’s reflecting what other Buddhists have been saying for a long time. He’s been waxing philosophical about this for years, as well. Reading interviews going back decades, the Dalai has always struck me as a very progressive, thoughtful man willing to accept new ideas and adapt when necessary. If this means removing the supernatural magic as Richard Dawkins suggests (who is actually supportive of Buddhism), then the Dalai will consider it.

        To catch up on how Buddhism is always adapting and going with the flow, I heartily recommend Buddhist Geeks. Terrific podcast featuring Buddhists from a multiverse of backgrounds.

        Besides, we all know who the one true leader of Buddhism is. 😉

        1. adapt when necessary

          Well, in his case, the adaptation was quite literally a matter of life and death.

          Maybe he is seeing how Tibetan Buddhism has no way of staying prevalent in Tibet, without going through a lot of pain and suffering.

           

          http://www.globalpost.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/gp3_small_article/monk_immolation.jpg

           

          He also may be trying to counter China's plans to seize Tibetan Buddhism once he's gone.

  3. from the Notional-Prehensile-Maker-Dept.
    in fact, there are a bunch of scholars who think that the Torah was designed to get people beyond the concept of G_d…in the text (which is also repeated in the Old Testament) G_d starts out very involved in the world and gradually becomes less and less ‘there’ or involved…

    brilliant idea-smiths, those Jews

  4. BoA
    Am I the only one here that finds Tim Binnall to sound like a complete asshat? I don’t discount the content, but the delivery is just terrible. I’d honestly rather listen to Rush Limbaugh than this guy.

    1. C’mon dude
      Tim is cool. The one thing I like the most about his podcast,is how his passion for the subjects he covers is palpable.

      That passion has dampened somewhat as of late, but that’s a phase we all to need to go through, if we keep on with our Fortean vows 😉

      1. Actually Krishnamurti had
        Actually Krishnamurti had been installed as the titular head of the theosophy movement which at the time was conducting itself as an organized religion. Ledbetter would wear these raiments that looked vaguely Jesuit, and they even had this giant wood branch altar and throne built for Krishnamurti to sit in during their camp meetings. That sort of idolatry is what caused him to renounce organized and ritual theosophy. It took a lot of courage for him to make the break – he was a young man being treated like a god and his followers were even calling him the second coming and that sort of thing. What he did was quite brave and mightily upset the status quo. It was quite traumatic for the Ledbetterian theosophy of those times.

        I wasn’t meaning to imply that the Lama was heading a highly organized religion himself. I was just questioning the novelty of what he said. He is very good at making deceptively simple comments though, so I don’t begrudge him sounding trite at times. The cliches often get that way because they are so true.

        1. Novelty of what he said
          The Dalai Lama didn’t seem to have had Krishnamurti’s advantage. He was put into the role of leader of a whole nation while he was just a child.

          But I think it’s a positive thing. I *am* philosophically against organized religion, because it ultimately leads to the installment of authority figures.

          And yes, there isn’t any novelty in Truth. Only in the way it needs to be updated to fit any given time 🙂

  5. Vision Is Necessary! A Star Ship Would Be Great! We Can Do It!
    Red Pill

    But first, let’s get real! Let’s start with the basics!

    First, we need to colonize low gravity planitoids like the moon and build factories.

    Second, we need to learn how to warp space and forget faster than light speed. Star Trek got the physics wrong; but, Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return Of The Jedi got the physics right.

    Third, the ship will not have to be aerodynamic. It has to be very large. It can carry smaller aerodynamic craft.

    Fourth, the above are a few of the problems that need to be solved! We don’t need a time limit! We need to think things out very carefully and set goals! Maybe it will take 100 years, 300 years, or 1,000 years; but, it can be done!

      1. We Have Nothing To Lose; But, We Can Do It!
        Red Pill

        We can do anything if we are willing to work hard enough long enough to do it!!!

        I Have forgotten who said the following; but, he/she was Spanish, Portugese, Mexican, Central American, or South American. “Politicians And Diapers Should Be Changed Frequently And For The Same Reasons!!!” Do you remember who said it?

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