Monthly Archives: November 2010
Different kinds of Weird
We just adopted our third pound dog. That makes us kind of weird because few people would consider having three dogs. But we got our new dog from a woman who, out of humanitarian reasons (if we are to believe … Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
Life is a Game
I actually like the expression “Life is a Game”, but many folks find this expression objectionable or even repugnant. However, I find that most of their aversions are simply due to one or more of these reasons: The Nature of … Continue reading
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“Why I” Delusions
We all have dozens of “Why I …” stories which we use to repeatedly explain who we are. We become secure in these stories as people have nodded to them in agreement over the years. Here are just a few … Continue reading
Filed under Cognitive Science, Critical Thinking
The Man without a Past: Movie talk
This is a 2002 Finnish film about a man saved by the Salvation Army in a most odd manner. For your reference, here is a wiki summary and Rotten Tomato review. But for my post, let me tell you a … Continue reading
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Reality Eats Us and …
Some folks are inclined to feel they are the masters of their destiny, they choose their own beliefs and they make independent choices. Some folks feel that life happens to them, they have no control and that even their beliefs … Continue reading
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Fighting Dragons & Santa
Our house is on top of a hill and we have forest around much of our property. I love walks in the woods with my kids. Sometimes for fun, during walks, my son and I grab large sticks and pretend … Continue reading
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Zen Tree Prayer
My wife, kids and I had been attending an American Zen temple near our home for a few months. On Sunday we arrivef for the morning meditation service. When we arrived, we notices that an old, beautiful tree outside the … Continue reading
Filed under Buddhism, Christianity, Events, Philosophy, Religion
Avoiding Extremes
My family watched the new “Karate Kid” tonight. In one scene, the teacher (Jackie Chan) tells the enthusiastic student (Jaden Smith) that they will not study the next day. The student is puzzled and asks “Why?”, to which the teacher … Continue reading
Filed under Christianity, Philosophy, Taoism
Sabio is Banned in China
An expat reader of this blog who lives in China has informed me that about two weeks ago the Chinese blocked Triangulations on their internet. Oh the horror! I have lost billions of potential readers. Oh the injustice! I thought … Continue reading
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“Aro” Buddhism
Are any of you Atheists, like me, needing a break from reading and writing about Christianity? Or perhaps you are a Buddhist or a Christian who would just like to meet other kids on the block. Well, why not take … Continue reading
Filed under Buddhism, Philosophy, Religion
Inviting Schadenfreude
“Schadenfreude” is a great German loan word which means “taking joy in the suffering of others”. Schadenfreude appears in everyday life in the sickest of ways. For instance, I can’t tell you how many times I have heard people speak … Continue reading
Filed under Philosophy, Religion
Nasty Buddhists
As you can tell by my recent posts, I have been exploring Buddhist sites. During my visits to these sites I have run into several very nasty Buddhists. All you need to do is question their particular dharma and their … Continue reading
Filed under Religion
Inseperable Thought-Emotion
“The problem here is a fundamental one in the Dali Lama’s dialogue with psychology: In the Buddhist view, thoughts are considered to be normally laden with emotions, and emotions are invariably laden with thoughts, so the Tibetan term for thought … Continue reading
Filed under Atheism, Buddhism, Philosophy, Religion
Enlightenment Crystals
Wow, it is said that after you cremate someone you can tell how enlightened they were by picking through their remains and counting the number of crystalline-structures you find in the ashes. I heard about the stones yesterday when listening … Continue reading
Tobacco & Misunderstood Religion
At the bottom of this post is an excellent documentary of the smoking epidemic in Indonesia. The epidemic exists in many countries. I lived in Asia for a decade where smoking is huge — it is where I started smoking … Continue reading
Filed under Religion
Buddhist Hemorrhoids
Hemorrhoids are blood vessels that bulge out of the anus caused partly by stagnant blood flow. This post discusses the meaning of the Chinese character for “hemorrhoid” and show its connection to, of all things, Buddhism. “In the end”, I will … Continue reading
Filed under Religion
Human Grasshoppers
In medicine (my occupation), drug reps cleverly use many cognitive techniques to try a peddle their wares. I am sure there is a name for this cognitive jujitsu, but let me call it “Lonely Numbers”. “Lonely Numbers” are numbers which … Continue reading
Filed under Science
