No Thing

No Thing I gained not one thing from Absolute Awakening and that is why it is called Absolute Awakening (Buddha Gautama)

MU The Japanese and Korean term mu (Japanese: 無; Korean: 무) or Chinese wú (traditional Chinese: 無; simplified Chinese: 无) meaning "not have; without" is a key word in Buddhism, especially the Chan and Zen traditions. The Gateless Gate, which is a 13th-century collection of Chan or Zen kōans, uses the word wu or mu in its title (Wumenguan or Mumonkan 無門關) and first kōan case ("Joshu's Dog" 趙州狗子). Chinese Chan calls the word mu 無 "the gate to enlightenment". The Japanese Rinzai school classifies the Mu Kōan as hosshin 発心 "resolve to attain enlightenment", that is, appropriate for beginners seeking kenshō "to see the Buddha-nature"'. (Wikipedia - Mu (negative)

"A special transmission outside the teachings; not depending on words or letters; directly pointing to Mind; realizing one's True Nature and becoming Buddha." Bodhidharma First Patriarch of Ch'an or Zen Buddhism

Follow your nature and accord with the Tao; Saunter along and stop worrying. If your thoughts are tied you spoil what is genuine... Don't be antagonistic to the world of the senses, For when you are not antagonistic to it, It turns out to be the same as complete Awakening. The wise person does not strive; The ignorant man ties himself up... If you work on your mind with your mind, How can you avoid an immense confusion?  (Seng-ts'an)

do nothing

be nothing

think nothing

In some Eastern philosophies, the concept of "nothingness" is characterized by an egoless state of being in which one fully realizes one's own small part in the cosmos. The understanding of 'nothing' varies widely between cultures, especially between Western and Eastern cultures and philosophical traditions. For instance, Śūnyatā (emptiness), unlike "nothingness", is considered to be a state of mind in some forms of Buddhism (see Nirvana, mu, and Bodhi). Achieving 'nothing' as a state of mind in this tradition allows one to be totally focused on a thought or activity at a level of intensity that they would not be able to achieve if they were consciously thinking. A classic example of this is an archer attempting to erase the mind and clear the thoughts to better focus on the shot. Some authors have pointed to similarities between the Buddhist conception of nothingness and the ideas of Martin Heidegger and existentialists like Sartre, although this connection has not been explicitly made by the philosophers themselves. (Wikipedia - Nothing )

From the first, no thing is 从最初的没有什么 最初は何もありませんから Hui-neng Chinese: 惠能; pinyin:  Huìnéng,(638–713) Sixth and Last Patriarch of Chan (Zen) Buddhism

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© 2016 MU-Peter Shimon

Quality

Quality And what is good, Phaedrus  And what is not good - Need we ask anyone to tell us these things? from ZAMM  Robert Pirsig

The Metaphysics of Quality
Adapted from the Tao Te Ching

Quality and it's manifestations are in their nature the same. It is given different names when it becomes classically manifest. Romantic quality and classic quality together  may be called the "mystic".

Simple Definition of quality -how good or bad something is  -a characteristic or feature that someone or something has -something that can be noticed as a part of a person or thing  -a high level of value or excellence

Reaching from mystery into deeper mystery, it is the gate to the secret of all life. Quality is all-pervading, And its use is inexhaustible! Fathomless! Like the fountainhead of all things... Yet crystal clear like water it seems to remain. I do not know whose Son it is. An image of what existed before God.

...Continuously, continuously, it seems to remain. Draw upon it and it serves you with ease... Looked at but cannot be seen... listened to but cannot be heard... grasped at but cannot be touched... these three elude all our inquiries and hence blend and become one.

Not by its rising is there light, Not by its setting is there darkness Unceasing, continuous It cannot be defined And reverts again into the realm of nothingness That is why it is called the form of the formless The image of nothingness

That is why is called elusive Meet it and you do not see its face Follow it and you do not see its back He who holds fast to the quality of old Is able to know the primeval beginnings Which are the continuity of quality.

"And what is well and what is badly—need we ask Lysias, 

or any other poet or orator, who ever wrote or will write either a political or any other work, 

in metre or out of metre, poet or prose writer, to teach us this?"

From Plato's dialogue The Phaedrus

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© 2016 MU-Peter Shimon

Canada Day 2016

CANADA is HOT! Celebrating that at 149 years old we're sexy and we know it!

Happy Canada Day! It's easy to compare yourself with others. You look around and wonder why it's so much better elsewhere. Then again, there are other times when you wonder what the hell is wrong with those people. Canada is not perfect. But lately, as I look around especially to our British and American cousins, I feel a deeper appreciation for living in Canada. Sometimes the grass isn't greener on the other side of the fence. Sometimes home is where the heart is.

Oh Canada

Our Home And Native Land

Canada is a multicultural country

The diversity of our geography and peoples is our great strength and advantage

Canada Welcomes Syrian Refugees   Full Frontal With Samantha Bee

PM Justin Trudeau greeting Syrian refugees  as they arrive at the airport

We're bringing sexy back!

The Prime Minister of Canada responded to a reporter's sarcastic comment about his knowledge of quantum computing by giving the reporter a quick lesson on it.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Son of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau

We're the True North  Strong and Free

We're sexy and we know it!

Known for our strong arms and beers beautiful beavers and beaches and our fine dining

What Japanese think of Canada Just a little help on Canadian words.

Stephen Colbert & Michael Buble sing O Canada Lyrics to the tune of Star Spangled Banner

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© 2016 MU-Peter Shimon

Areté

Areté Excellence

The Truth Exposed - The Meaning Of Areté?

The Greek word areté refers to “excellence” or “virtue” of any kind. The Greeks used this word to denote courage, strength, and the need to live up to one’s full potential. In its time areté was what all people aspired to.

“What moves the Greek warrior to deeds of heroism,” Kitto comments, “is not a sense of duty as we understand it  — duty towards others: it is rather duty towards himself. He strives after that which we translate ‘virtue’ but is in Greek arête, ‘excellence’ … we shall have much to say about arête. It runs through Greek life.” Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Arête implies a respect of the wholeness or oneness of life,  and a consequent dislike of specialization.  it implies a contempt for efficiency  or rather a much higher idea of efficiency, an efficiency which exists not  in one department of life but in life itself.” Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

The Choice of Heracles (Cacia and Arete), by Annibale Carracci (1560-1609),  Italian Baroque painter In a fable related by Xenophon, Arete (Virtue) and Cacia (Vice) offered Heracles the choice between a life of valour and one of luxury.

:"There is a tale that Arete (Virtue) dwells on un-climbable rocks and close to the gods tends a holy place; she may not be seen by the eyes of all mortals, but only by him on whom distressing sweat comes from within, the one who reaches the peak of manliness." Simonides, Fragment 579 (trans. Campbell, Vol. Greek Lyric III) (Greek lyric C6th to 5th B.C.) “

“Then Phaedrus feels a tugging to read the passage again, and he does so and then… what’s this?!… ’That which we translate ‘virtue’ but is in Greek ‘excellence.’ Kitto had more to say about this  arête of the ancient Greeks.  ‘When we meet arête in Plato,’ he said, we translate it ‘virtue’ and consequently miss all the flavor of it. ‘Virtue,’ at least in modern English, is almost entirely a moral word; arête on the other hand, is used indifferently in all the categories, and simply means excellence” Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

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© 2016 MU-Peter Shimon

Earth Day 2016

Earth Day  2016 Intelligent creatures don't foul where they live

Earth Day: The History of A Movement Each year, Earth Day -- April 22 -- marks the anniversary of what many consider the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. The height of hippie and flower-child culture in the United States, 1970 brought the death of Jimi Hendrix, the last Beatles album, and Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water”. Protest was the order of the day, but saving the planet was not the cause. War raged in Vietnam, and students nationwide increasingly opposed it. At the time, Americans were slurping leaded gas through massive V8 sedans. Industry belched out smoke and sludge with little fear of legal consequences or bad press. Air pollution was commonly accepted as the smell of prosperity. “Environment” was a word that appeared more often in spelling bees than on the evening news. Although mainstream America remained oblivious to environmental concerns, the stage had been set for change by the publication of Rachel Carson's New York Times bestseller Silent Spring in 1962. The book represented a watershed moment for the modern environmental movement, selling more than 500,000 copies in 24 countries and, up until that moment, more than any other person, Ms. Carson raised public awareness and concern for living organisms, the environment and public health. Earth Day 1970 capitalized on the emerging consciousness, channeling the energy of the anti-war protest movement and putting environmental concerns front and center. The idea came to Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, after witnessing the ravages of the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. Inspired by the student anti-war movement, he realized that if he could infuse that energy with an emerging public consciousness about air and water pollution, it would force environmental protection onto the national political agenda. Senator Nelson announced the idea for a “national teach-in on the environment” to the national media; persuaded Pete McCloskey, a conservation-minded Republican Congressman, to serve as his co-chair; and recruited Denis Hayes as national coordinator. Hayes built a national staff of 85 to promote events across the land. As a result, on the 22nd of April, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values. Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, city slickers and farmers, tycoons and labor leaders. The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts. "It was a gamble," Gaylord recalled, "but it worked." from the Earth Day Network

Earth is the third planet from the Sun. It is the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets. It is sometimes referred to as "the World" or the "Blue Planet". Earth formed approximately 4.54 billion years ago, and life appeared on its surface within its first billion years.[24] Earth's biosphere then significantly altered the atmospheric and other basic physical conditions, which enabled the proliferation of organisms as well as the formation of the ozone layer, which together withEarth's magnetic field blocked harmful solar radiation, and permitted formerly ocean-confined life to move safely to land.[25] The physical properties of the Earth, as well as its geological history and orbit, have allowed life to persist. (Wikipedia)

The Story of Earth in HD National Geographic

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© 2016 MU-Peter Shimon

Fly Like An Eagle

Fly Like An Eagle

Eagles, Hawks, Ravens I've always wanted to fly. The only recurring dream I ever had was about flying. Very vivid dreams were I just lifted up and flew through the air. Its happened over and again with different scenarios but one outcome. I'm Flying! They are marvelous dreams and I always wake up both exilerated and very sad.  Disappointed that they were dreams and not IRL. Not reality. Wherever I have gone traveling, working, excavating or on vacation, I have always been the first in the group to hear an eagle's cry. Always looking up for them, and whenever possible snap some pics.  I've had interesting sightings of royal eagles, golden eagles and even bald eagles. The are without doubt, majestic.

Raptors There is so much to admire about them. I don't know if that's the reason I'm fascinated by birds of prey and raptors. But then again, most people are fascinated by eagles. Dinosaur raptors too.are popular and there in fact an evolutionary link between them. Birds are living dinosaurs!

Eagle is a common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae It belongs to several groups of genera  that are not necessarily closely related. Most of the 60 species of eagles  are from Eurasia and Africa.  Outside this area,  just 14 species can be found two in North America, nine in Central and South America, and three in Australia. (Wikipedia)

I finally did Fly Like An Eagleor the closest thing to it. When I turned 18 I signed up for a course and started Hang-gliding. ZERO GRAVITY Hang Gliding   "It's My Life" - Alpine Aerobatics

Eagles are generally classified into four groups

Fish Eagles Sea eagles or fish eagles eat fish. D'uh! Photo courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation. Given that they need fish to hunt, they can be found by the seaside on coastal area, large lakes and the like. They like to eat their aquatic prey either fresh caught or carrion.

Booted Eagles Booted eagles or "true eagles" are noted by their feathered lower legs (tarsi). A small eagle with males about 510–770 g (1.12–1.70 lb) in weight, and females about 950–1,000 g (2.09–2.20 lb) They inhabit wooded and hilly regions, with some open areas nearby. It is small but powerful enough to hunt prey up to 5 times its own weight. Dark and pale are the two distinct plumage forms.

Snake Eagles Snake or serpent eagles are naturally adapted to hunting snake. A rounded head and broad wings is what distinguish them. Reptiles are also part of their diet and sometimes they'll take small mammals as well. Snake eagles prefer open cultivated plains or arid savanna. However, they tend to build stick nests so, they will need trees.

Harpy Eagles Harpy eagles or "giant forest eagles" tend to be large. Photo: GNU Free Documentation License, In fact not only are they the largest and most powerful raptors found in the Americas but they are among the largest species in the world. Its main prey are tree-dwelling mammals so, they are found in tropical forests and lowland rain forests. Adults of harpy eagles are at the top of a food chain in their environment and have no natural predators in these areas.

The Harpy Eagle and the Philippine Eagle  have wings that spread 2.5m across and use their massive, sharp talons, to kill and carry off prey as large as deer and monkeys. Eagles are different from many other birds of prey mainly by their larger size, more powerful build, and heavier head and beak. Most eagles are larger than any other raptors apart from vultures Some eagles are built with short wings and long tails enabling them to hunt in the tight confines of a forest, while others are have short tails and broad long wings allowing them to soar high above open plains and water. Many eagle species lay two eggs, but the older, larger chick frequently kills its younger sibling once it has hatched. Adults do not intervene. Golden eagles in in the state of Wyoming  have been observed foraging areas that cover 100 square miles.

Although many eagle populations are dwindling as a result of habitat destruction, hunting, and pollution, conservation efforts are helping some species Like the Bald Eagle  which has made a dramatic comeback in the U.S.over the last few decades. Eagles have unusual eyes.  - They are very large in proportion to their heads and have extremely large pupils.  - Eagles’ eyes have a million light-sensitive cells per square mm of retina, five times more that a human’s 200,000.  - Humans see just 3 basic colours, but eagles see 5.  - These adaptations gives eagles extremely keen eyesight and enable them to spot even well-camouflaged potential prey from a very long distance. In fact the eagles’ vision is among the sharpest of any animal and studies suggest that some eagles can spot an animal the size of a rabbit up to 2 miles away!

Fly Like An Eagle - Steve Miller Band

- Warning Trigger Alert - 

Optional Panel Ahead
  The following panel shows graphic photos of a eagle taking down a deer.

The power and ability of a Golden eagle to hunt large prey.

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© 2016 MU-Peter Shimon