Tuesday, December 10, 2024
Monkey Talks
NPP Lies (Pacha) Exposed
NPP Lies (Pacha) Exposed
It is true political lies get exposed within a year or so.
Why I Hate Chinese Food?
Monday, December 9, 2024
Syrian Debacle
Druze
Alawhites
Secular Syrians
Christians
Kurds
French Syrian Diaspora
Syrian Rebels supported by America
ISIS now in control
Syrian Debacle.
Nobody talks about the Syrian citizens.
There is no civilan administration or a political party.
There is a name sake Prime Minister without a proper parliament.
The military is corrupt to the core.
Anarchy (chaos) is the end result.
I do not understand Middle East Politics, at all.
Sunday, December 8, 2024
Why I hate the phrase “Lotus eaters”
Why I hate the phrase “Lotus eaters”?
I hate the phrase or metaphor lotus eaters.
There is no inherent reason except, I love all types flowers of Water Lilies.
Are we lotus eaters?
In Greek mythology the Lotus-eaters, also referred to as the lotophagi or lotophaguses (singular lotophagus ) or lotophages (singular lotophage), were a race of people living on an island dominated by lotus plants.
1. Lotus-eater or Lotus Eater Greek Mythology One of a people described in the Odyssey who lived in a drugged, indolent state from feeding on the lotus.
2. A lazy person devoted to pleasure and luxury.
If we take the above definitions the island Ceylon fits nicely, especially after ex-president’s period.
The narcotic sales hit a zenith.
People were elated (especially with the racial dogma) but lazy.
Expansion of temples all over the country needed large amount of Water Lilies for worshiping.
Then of course, the people eat most of the parts of the plant including the rhizome.
My gut feeling is these rhizomes concentrate arsenic and heavy metals which can be poisonous after about 30 to 40 years of eating.
Increase detection (I won’t use an epidemic) of chronic renal disease is relevant here.
Other relevant point is from C. P De Silva’s (1960s) time we had been importing and using poisonous pesticides and artificial fertilizer loaded with heavy metals.
The coal that we import from China will also be contributory where Coal Power Plants are located.
The name lilies is a broad term and many lilies can be poisonous to cats and dogs.
Below is a Reproduction
Quick warning:
No matter the circumstance, never eat any plant unless you're absolutely sure that it's safe. This means either a) having bought it from a grocery store, or b) having it identified with all possible certainty (both as a particular species and as edible) by a reliable authority.
That said... The word "lily" covers an astonishingly wide variety of plants, most of which are indeed poisonous.
I'll go over them a few at a time, by botanical categories.
True lilies (genus Lilium -- Easter lilies, stargazer lilies, etc.) are definitely toxic to cats.
My sources are more dubious regarding humans: they are at very least dubious. Numerous species are outright poisonous (if only mildly), while many others are inedible and bitter.
Day lilies (genus Hemerocallis) are not at all poisonous -- in fact, they're lauded as tasty in numerous books of edible wild plants.
Apparently all parts of the plant are edible, and many are pretty good eating.
One plant sometimes referred to as "Easter lily" is also called the calla lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica): it is toxic.
All parts of the plant contain calcium oxalate, which causes swelling, burning, and highly unpleasant digestive symptoms.
Lily of the valley (Convallaria majus) is highly toxic -- it's full of cardiac glycosides, to the point that merely handling it and then licking one's fingers could cause some symptoms.
Do not eat.
Water Lilies (Nymphaeaceae spp.) are too large a group for me to say anything definite.
They seem mostly innocuous, but it'd be advisable to research any given species individually before trying to eat or plant it.
Sonia Barnett was delighted to receive a beautiful bouquet on Valentine’s Day.
But her joy turned to horror when the flowers poisoned and killed three of her beloved cats.
Miss Barnett did not know that ingesting any part of a lily can be fatal to felines, with even a small amount of pollen enough to kill them.
Saturday, December 7, 2024
Futuristic Digital Office
My Theory of Level I Civilization
My Theory of Level I Civilization
Friday, December 6, 2024
1001 Days of War Games with Russia
1001 Days of War Games with Russia
This piece is for my own consumption.
Games and Music Last Forever
Games and Music Last Forever
We all are at crossroads.
Thursday, December 5, 2024
Constitution, Dhamma and the Lullaby
I am sorry for repetition but this has a political impact.
1. Dhamma has no parallels in philosophy, politics or science.
2. It is boundless and timeless and permeate all spheres of human mental activity.
3. It is not an institution in a religious sense.
4. It does not belong to a particular country or race or a constitution.
5. It belongs to the human race.
6. Having said that it does not disregard existence of the right of other living beings.
7. It accepts the presence of extraterrestrial beings of higher or lower order to human beings.
8. It is a way of life with special attention to mental purity (getting rid of defilements).
9. It has a very simple moral code, “Live and Let Live Principle”.
10. It has no rigid rules and bylaws.
11. Above all it is Open to Question or Inquiry but not at global sense but at Individual Level.
That is why I say it is not a religion but a simple way of life for every individual with an iota of intelligence.
12. It does not exclude mentally weak and that is why it emphasize the “Sardha” or the Devotion (Sila) or reverence to the exalted one.
If you take all the above qualifications it should be Above of All the World Constitutions and not within a structured articles of intent be that it may be United States or Ceylon.
Constitution in brief, in my opinion is a piece of paper article to govern weak subjects by supposed to be powerful and the elite by coercion or rigidity of laws and bylaws.
It took almost 2500 years for the Human Rights Charter to be declared (only on paper but violated left, right and center depending on the declared sovereignty of a state or government).
We cannot do without it.
It is the political will of a set or group or collection of people.
It got to be simple to interpret.
It should have a practical value.
It should have the political will to harness harmony and disengage discrimination.
On all the above grounds it cannot be called a perfect article of faith.
It is a near enough document but since it is not perfect it should be scrutinized, restructured, revised on a regular basis.
Dhamma does not need any of the above revisions and that is why it should be kept above all constitutions.
That is my view.
What I said above won’t apply to Christianity and Muslim religions since they are invariably bound by power, politics, commerce, money and conspiracies to cover up corruption.
Dhamma is for the Mind and not for an Institution.
That is why Buddha did not appoint a successor and let the boundless Dhamma takes it own course.
It does not mean Dhamma could survive on its own since there is always room for distortion within and from without.
Dhamma is boundless and timeless.
It permeates all reams and universes (There is no one world but many worlds).
Four abodes of the enlightenment or the sublime states are;
Metta
Karuna
Muditha (no proper word in English nearest is “Sympathetic Joy”)
Upekka
Way forward is Meditation either;
Samatha Bhavana-Concentration or Focused Attention to the Present
Samatha Bhavana, the development of mental tranquility with concentration, is accompanied by three benefits; it gives happiness in the present life, a favorable rebirth, and the freedom from mental defilements which is a prerequisite for attainment of insight.
Vipassana Bhavana-Insight Meditation
Vipassana bhavana is realization of the three signs of being, anicca, dukkha, and anatta,
My Focus is
Metta Meditation
Moment Meditation or Living in the Present Moment (admittedly very difficult poor memory and attention span)
Memory is redundant in my belief and mere reciting and memorizing Dhamma won’t get one nowhere. It had a historical value passing down the ancient wisdom but in digital age there is abundance of textural messages but very little practice.
That is why I highlight meditation (detached attention) as the only way forward.
One needs a good teacher not books.
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
EasyOS Puppy Linux 6.5 is OUT
EasyOS Puppy Linux 6.5 is OUT
It is pretty good and supports all container types.
It is only 1GB but unlike other distributions fills up the rest of my 8GB USB with an Ext4 File system for use.
Thank YOU.
Firefox and Chromium browsers need to be downloaded and Chromium has its own container.
Vivaldi browser is also available.
Only downside is no AbiWord.
This USB stick is used only when I travel and not on daily basis.
By the way, Puppy Linux is my favorite for a very long time.
I started Linux with Puppy Linux.
This is the only Puppy derivative that active and all the others are dormant.
Only a few Linux Distributions are posting their Linux Images.
Emmabantus Debian 5 Edition is pretty good and feature packed.
TAILS is out but I did not test.
Sparky Linux Game over has limited games. It did not have my favorite Frozen Bubble. Currently, I do not support Linux games.
My Cricket Ball Design of Computer Technology
Basic Tenets of Dhamma
Saturday, May 26, 2018
Basic Tenets of Dhamma
The inclement weather made me to be home bound and compose myself to investigate the three words in our discussion and find the closest English rendition (as much as Sinhala cannot translate them correctly, English fare much worse).
As I write this there is a YouTube session on the Internet on, and an American Lady (lay person but taken the role of a preacher) is having a talk show and stating that there is an anti-universe and in there life of beings is eternal and there is no death but permanent existence.
What a hoax?
To her my prediction is that even the anti-universe is subjected to state of flux and extinction and another round of universe and anti-anti universe would come into existence.
But our discussion here is on mind and its behavior which can grasp or cling into both the micca diiti (wrong view) and samma ditti (right view).
The bottom line is we should not corrupt the Pali Terminology.
1. Animitta Condition-less (without a focus of attention)
2. Apanahita Desire-less (without attachment)
3. Sunatta Emptiness or Void (null)
What I find to my surprise is that they are the three of the 18 contemplative states described for monks with correspondingly higher states that can be attained in Vipaasana Meditation.
Suffice is to say these are very difficult to accomplish by an ordinary layperson.
My subsequent investigation leads me to the following summary.
The base line technique which is easy and useful for focusing the mind is nothing but Ana Pana Sati.
What is the objective?
Attainment of Dyana is the correct term for the commonly used term Jhanas (4 to 8 in number) that could be attained momentarily.
These states are not the same but similar to the psychological effects of psychedelic drugs.
These are very addictive states and bring out rapture and happy states and have the proclivity for more of the same arousal tendency, craving and delight in essence.
That should not be the attitude of the meditator but is a hindrance to upward mobility.
They are not permanent and subjected to change.
That is why one should contemplate the Anitta, Dukkha and Anatta principles in these state of arousal.
As one ascends through higher Dyana levels the technique is to drop the mental states that are hindrance to the next level and finally achieve the highest level which is Upekka or Equanimity.
The next stage is to contemplate on detachment, abandoning and extinction leading to Nirodha.
I have summarized the states achieved in the first 4 levels, below.
The seven elements of Enlightenment are
1. Sati or Mindfullness
2. Dhamma vicaya or the Truth Principle.
3. Viriya or Energy
4. Piti or Rapture
5. Passadhi or Tranquility
6. Smadhi or Concentration
7. Upekkha or Equanimity
The seven states of enlightenment developed and frequently practiced leads to Wisdom and Deliverance (Vijja-vimutti).
Samadhi or the Concentration
In other words the attainment of four to five Jhana absorptions.
In Jhana Absorptions, there is complete but temporary detachment from all five sensual spheres and of five hindrances or the
Nivarana
They are
1. Kamacchanda (Loba)
2. Vyapada(Dosa)
3. Tina Middha (sloth and torpor)
4. Uddhakka-kukkussa(restlessness)
5. Vicikiccha (doubt)
1st Jhana State one attains
1. Vittakka (thought conception and attention to thought-thinkink)
2. Vichara (reflecting or on inner speech or discursive thinking)
3. Piti (rapture)
4. Sukha (joy)
5. Ekaggata (one pointedness)
2nd Jhana State
Vittaka is dropped.
1. Vicara
2. Piti
3. Sukha
4. Samadhi are accompaniments.
3rd Jhana State
1. Piti
2. Sukha
3. Samadhi
4th Jhana State
1. Sukha
2. Samadhi
5th Jhana State
1. Equanimity
2. Samadhi
Beings of other planets have attained the next four levels (5 to 8) of higher mental states and for lack of proper terms they could be called Divine Entities.
The four Jhana states practised and attained at Patisnandhi state of mind would cause births in better worlds higher than the earth.
Unfortunately in these states they are unable to acquire new Kusala Kammasa and it is practically a dead end and once the Kamma is consumed, they fall into lower levels including birth in world system like ours.
It is just like one who has a big saving account and he/she withdraws money little by little before full maturity and empties it in no time.
Full maturity should be taken as Nirodha Samapatti.
Pangna or Wisdom
This is the understanding of the Four Noble Truths, the suffering, the origin of suffering, the path for cessation (Nirodaya) of suffering and the cessation of suffering.
This is the more difficult and is the intellectual pursuit of Vipassana Meditation.
The Samatha Meditation is the more practical and easy way of meditation.
There are about 40 objects for Samatha Bhavana (Vissudhi Magga has over 1000 objects) and one should select one which suits the personalty.
Objects of Insight Mediation
There is lot of commercial advertisement to meditation, I thought of giving a little resume for the novice.
There are 18 kinds of insight knowledge that can be used as objects of Vipassana Meditation.
It is Knowledge or Truth or Dhamma based meditation as opposed to Samatha Meditation.
1. Annitta Contemplation of impermanence
2. Dukkha Contemplation of unsatisfactoriness (suffering)
3. Anatta Contemplation of non self
4. Nibbhidana Contemplation of disinclination or aversion
5. Viraga Contemplation of dispassionateness
6. Nidodha Contemplation of extinction or cessation
7. Patinissangga Contemplation of of abandonment
8. Khayanu Contemplation of body
9. Vayanu Contemplation of state vanishing
10. Viparinama Contemplation of state change
11. Animitta Contemplation of state of conditionlessness
12. Apanihita Contemplation of state desirelessness
13. Sunnatta Contemplation of state of emptiness or void
14. Adhipanna Contemplation based on higher knowledge
15. Yathabhuta Contemplation based on knowledge and vision of reality
16. Adhinavana Contemplation of misery
17. Patisankha Reflecting or thinking on contemplation
18. Vivatta Absence of cycle of existence – Nirodha samapatthi