Unbeatable

You can't beat me because

I'm already beat, which was

a wisdom clue of the Beats.

If I got rid of my ego, I'm 

already dead and still alive,

not zombified like Republicans

and their reptilian relatives.

I'm richer than Rockefeller

in my being, not matter, and

the only "thing" that does matter.....

that's why the poets were able 

to love so much.

Here I Am On Earth

How, in the earth, did that happen?

Seven billion humans...I happen to

be one of them. Whatever I am, I 

don't last that long ....a twinkle

in the eye of time. And the humans

who supposedly run the place are

running it into the ground. So much

for the idea of a higher life form.

It's beautiful as I look out my window...

the delicious green, bird song naturally

enhancing the environment, the sun,

the clouds...all organic...all intrinsically

evolved. No wonder the ancient ones

tried to live in harmony....it wasn't broke

and they saw no reason to fix it. 

I just read that it will take, maybe,

twenty years for radiation from 

Japan to contaminate the planet.

That's if nothing else happens.

So. it's beautiful, now, as Basho wrote,

floating on the waves of the lake.

E Mail

all these great times, eras, moments that lasted ten 
years or so,  Paris in the twenties and thirties and teens, 
USA in the Sixties... Morocco in the Fifties, St. Peters 
burg in the 1890's, Greece  when it was first a republic.....
what the fuck am I getting at????

None of them lasted more than a few years....like 

civilizations trying to create dynasties, but couldn't. 

I think the Ottomans had the best idea...similar to 

the Tibetans. The Ottomans did it, I read, by natural 

selection. The Tibetans way was natural selection, 

although, most would say, more like supernatural 

selection..but, no.

you're right....Chinese history is a thing to be studied...

I know so little...;Trungpa Rinpoche loved hearing about it. 

The one thing I remember now, is that in certain dynasties, 

applicants to the court, meaning aspiring bureaucrats, 

would sequester themselves away from the capital and 

write poetry to show their worth. How opposite Dick 

Cheney can you get?  So, at least, that happened 

in the world.

How do you sustain political stability over time? 

The Ottomans did it through continuous conquest, 

as did the British, as the Americans are still trying to do.

The other way is Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism...

say China. That's an open question for me.

True Story

I was sitting in the Senior Lounge at Elgin 

Academy one afternoon after lunch,

reading Huston Smith's  "Religions  

Of Man". All at once, I was up at the 

ceiling, looking down at myself on the 

couch. Don't know how long it lasted. 

Wound up back on the couch. 

Never told anyone.

C'mon, Towers? Babel?

We're only as smart as we are,

as capable as a species,

as knowing of the truth because

what we know now was built on

the truth of generations that took 

a long time. Babel is the tower 

now, yes, I'm sorry, it all has to

come down again. "We have to

take that malignancy out of your

body, Mr. Smith." "I Understand"

We've been trying to understand 

for a long time. But, we lost time

a long time ago. It's like the 

present is forcing itself on us as

it always does, in spite of lifetime

distractions.

Get Agrippa on yourself........

Philosophical Question

Why would we need philosophers
if we could understand them?

Anybody Outre?

Yes, I'm talking to you,

which is why you walked up,

outsider....silent real like the

things you got your hands on.

What no one cared to see.

There are some of you.

I rarely meet you, but you are

the only reason for the rest to 

continue. Only you will 

understand this poem.

Food, Philosophy,

now I know why love of food fucked the French.

....but, not the Germans because no matter how good their food was,

they still had to be with their wives, their philosophers, their culture...

whereas, for the French, their wives, their culture, revolved around food.

....I mean, existentialism is just pushing that meatball one more time up the hill

so you can have a nice dinner...and wake up to pushing that meatball.....

That's as German as the French got.......

"Oh, you will invade me again?  Which orifice?"

That sums up what I think about philosophy in general....precisely, let me emphasize.

Overheard

...from an old hippie....re:  the Sixties

"I’m glad I didn’t know what was going on while it was happening."

Tombstone

He took life well.

Baudelaire and Karma

The thing about Baudelaire, is that

he just manifest, like Buddha, Mozart,

and every damned one of us, for that matter.

Long Mind

Don't give me your short mind

don't give me your short time

I've got that magic feeling...

nowhere to go.

I take the long view, rather,

it takes me....I've worked for

the future I already see.

It's like I only wrote one

endless poem...just got 

up once, over and over...

I can take time for this...

poem. This is my time,

Mr. Smith. Dickens got

paid by the word. I don't

get paid, the way you 

see it. It's the long mind

view. 

Current Events

Europe's getting a NATOver

while Putin's putting hisself

into a submarine...Jade Helm

commits the army to guarding

Americans from themselves...
Isis on the Islamic cake....

meanwhile, the predictions for

September are multi-ominous.

It's all so exciting!

Religions And The Concept Of Time.

Time can be seen as linear, or, cyclical.

The cyclical model of time has been

employed by many human societies,

from the most primitive, to some of the 

most advanced...India and China are 

two examples of the latter.The linear

concept of time was employed by mono

theistic religions as a major aspect of their

belief system. If time is linear, then, humans

only have one life span to make their

relationship with whatever diety, and, 

at death, the actions of their lives, and their

faith, determines where they'll  spend the

rest of eternity.  In the cyclical view, 

life is a process, not a solid manifestation. 

Eastern religions have the concept of "wa",

which translates as "harmony". This gives

a clue as to their relationship to time. 

Harmony means human events take place

in an atmosphere of ordered understanding.

It's presence or absence is what is important.

For the theists, it's "salvation"...meaning that

there is an end point to the process...(linear

thinking)...and to the outcome. This is important

because it is what the monotheists use to keep

their adherents in line to their way of thinking

and doing, rather than acting in "harmony" 

with existing conditions.

Basic Poem

(Reference John Lennon's 

diary)...I got up...(I didn't

want to)...I went to the 

usual place, had the usual

experience, highlight being

waiting for the bus, oogling

three young women. They

saw me as old and were not 

affected. I came home.

Everything was the same,

including the mess...I was 

waiting for something to change,

having put aside my own will,

meaning I didn't care if it did 

change, I just figured it would,

sooner or later.

E mail to a friend

I know there was one Buddhist comedian. He wasn't 
that funny, because he just kept telling

the truth.  What is there in Buddhism you can tell 

jokes about?  Sure, the whole thing, but I mean

what in the teachings?    You don't exist....that's 

probably a really good staring point for a bit.

(That doesn't mean Dzogchen is a joke....

but, what does it mean?)

A Jew walked into a bar that didn't exist. 

When he realized where he wasn't, 

he immediately check into rehab.

It's funny you have to take the path so 

seriously, a meme temps, having a sense of humor.

But, when you're fishing for non-existence, 

( like a hook with no bait)....I think that's why 

they say better to never have

started.....It's worse than a bad concert and no refund.

But, as somebody said "Even if the Buddhas of the 

Three Times rise against you, you will remain in the 

indestructible Vajra nature,"    Well, that's comforting .....

Trope

Alzheimers is Nature's way

of telling your mind to

shut the fuck up.

Trope

We'll never forget
what we need to remember.

Free Long Distance...Viva Mexico!

I live in Mexico, and, last

January Telmex (Think Slim)

announced that they were 

giving me free long distance....

anywhere in the world. This was

on my phone bill, so, with my 

limited knowledge of Spanish,

I placed a lot of long distance

calls, and, my bill went down!!!

Has anyone else had such a 

nice experience, albeit, on such 

a mundane level as this, in 

the last few years?

Timing ... A Poan

I'll wait like the dog

I give chicken to, 'till

the time is right to eat.

Spontaneous Poem

In the tradition of 

Newari  Buddhism

I was standing at the crossroads

Buddha walked by....we bowed...

I knew which way to go........

it wasn't called the Blues then,

nothing was called much of anything....

too busy doing.....only a few people

got names.

Pepto Bismo Blues

When I got the Blues, Bobo,

apocalypto, I go to the Bismo....

I drink pink for my tummy-o

It makes me think I'm OK-o

But I reached into my pocket

and grabbed my drink...note

in my pocket said 

"No more pink."

Oh-no-e-o......

Damned Page

OK, look blank...

go ahead...

maybe I should sing to you...

no, you wouldn't like that either.

Yes, folks, it's all coming

from nowhere...believe it.

I know; "Who said that?"

Let's just say it's the Blues

and let it go.

Poem For Khandro Rinpoche

How to start?

You are Buddha.

How to end?

You are Buddha.

What about the middle?

A flow of simple miracle.

American Heroes

Two American heroes, Jenner and 

Lance Armstrong, both Wheaties box 

cover level athletes, are in life 

crisis mode. I have a solution that 

will save their reputations and salvage 

their careers. 

Here's the story. Jenner and Lance

meet and fall in love, or, pretend to.

Lance has his other ball removed and

becomes a tranny...they are married,

adopt more children than Brad and 

Angela, and are triumphant as a couple

on the new Wheaties product cerial box:

"Wheaties for girls...They're sugar coated!"

Old-ish Man Basking In A Chair At A Computer (for Keith Dowman)

No wonder we all worked so hard

all those years

(those of us that did)....

I lived in shacks and learned that

wherever I was was a palace.

I thought so hard, for so many years,

'till one moment I realized I didn't

have to think.

I don't have much to say.

I'd rather just dance in the

stillness....rather trite, 

perhaps. (oops...wrote

myself into a corner.)

Maybe the earth is flat,

after all. There seem to

be many imminent dangers

of falling off of it, let's say....

so, I'm not the only one

waiting for the paint to dry...

seeing reality on my screen

that no one dreamed of 

even ten years ago.

........................................................

Old men are good at basking,

like stone fish waiting with

magic patience.

        .         .           .           .

"How did that work out for ya?"

"Well, Jerry, it took a lot of hard

work and good timing...plus, a

little luck!" (Tube worm in the

Mariana Trench)

...............................................................

Every morning, when I was 

working as a plumber, my 

first thought would be: "I

don't know how to do this."

Every morning, when I wake

up now, my first thought is:

"I don't have to do plumbing,"

Then, I fall back asleep.

.....................................................

One can bask in the sun

'till the sun goes down.

One can bask at a computer

'till the power goes out

'till there's an earthquake

'till the army comes to your door....

natural light is best.

Love

Where does it start?

When does it end?

All that confusion,

complication we call

getting our lives 

together, sussing it out...

plans, schemes, 

campaigns, we forget

in the instant of love.

Then, we forget love

again and continue

running after visions

'till finally we tire and

rest again in our loved 

one's arms.

Don't we get it?

Clown Intervention Cadre

C.I.C. is an underground movement

of clowns (they have lots of shovels)

whose intent is to dismantle the

culture of their arch foil, the "Grey

Suits", perpetrators of a very unfunny

and, sort of, death oriented society

we called the United States when we

used to like it.

It is a secret society, for now, and the

only way one can connect with it is 

through this website....(is that a tell?)

Clowns, and other clumsy wannnabes

are gathering at secluded very funny 

sites throughout the continent and in 

Tobago (not sure why Tobago....sounds

funny, I guess) in training for "C Day"

(Clown Day...Duuuh!) when a massive 

invasion of major urban areas by hordes

(that's a lot) of clowns will antic their way

through the masses (that's also a lot) of

citizens during their normal lives. But their

lives won't be normal after that. The silly

trauma of that event will scar their funny 

bones forever, and they will live the rest

of their lives holding back a giggle that

such a profane miracle might happen

once again....(too soon?)

No Title

"We can let them tell the truth

once or twice, but if people

start to listen to them, they

have to go"    Anon.

Kennnedys, King, Malcom X,

Joplin, Hendrix, Morrison,

Fred Hampton, Marlyn Monroe,

George Carlin

The latest military warship launch

The John Warner "is the most high-tech, it is the most lethal warship pound for pound that we have in our inventory," Greenert said.  (CNN)

"Of course, "  he continued "It doesn't have the capability to fly out of the

 ocean into outer space, the way we've seen with some of our competetors,

but, She's a damned fine machine! Of course, we have to thank our contractors

and fluoridated water for that."

All The World's A Play

When Shakespeare wrote the famous line,

"All the world's a stage," theatre was a very

new art form. It was an obvious concoction

of fantasy, albeit based on some true events.

So, his words were a very powerful metaphor 

and deep philosophical reflection for the time.

Times have changed.

All the world's a play, directed by a few CEOs,

a few politicians, and a plethora of psychotics.

Most ordinary folks have their roles they are

bound to....improvisation is discouraged...

and, after ten or twenty years they are so 

identified with those roles, that many people

die shortly after retirement. Human values....

decency, compassion, a fare shake, to name

a few, have been directed out of the play. To

even come to the understanding, which more

and more people are doing, that they've been

had by master directors is a great challenge.

What's important to see, in my view, is that

every stimulus humans are exposed to by

"the norm" are tools to keep you rolling along.

Once questioning has become a crime, it's

not hard to see what's going to happen in

the next act.

Definition

"infinciple"  

The answer to all koans

  

Calvinism

Hitting a hard place
with a rock.

Old Hippie P.S.A. #1.2  Colorful Clothes

I bought a pinkie ring, and I have my tattoo.

I think an ear ring is next.

Why? You might ask.

"Hopi clowns are an integral part of Hopi Kachina 

ceremonials where they participate in sacred rituals

 as well as unique clown performances—some with 

direct contact with the spectators. The clown's 

performance centers on humor and entertainment, 

but also they monitor the assembled crowd and 

provide policing activities over both the Kachina 

performers and the audience. Mockery is a tool 

used to warn spectators of non-Hopi behavior, 

and generally long remembered by the recipient 

of clown attention."  Wikipedia

Look at it this way. What do you notice when you 

see an old person? generally nothing except

the automatic catagory "old person" which is 

quickly filed in your mental trash. Old people are 

generally regarded as something in the way, but, 

when they die, you get a lot of goodies. Sure, we're

ugly and can't do very much, but we have something

you don't. It's called wisdom. That's why they used

to call them "elders" instead of "winos", as they do now.

That's why my project is to make this trash heap look like

a Christmas tree. If ten percent of the fogies dressed

up like that, imagine what a brighter, more interesting

world we'd live in. Most enlightened siddhas sit around

fishing banks, eating fish guts and are generally ignored,

waiting for that one person with good enough karma to

come along so he has somebody to teach. Not many

have very good karma now, so, I feel like it's time to take

the message to the people. Just because you wear a

three piece suit doesn't mean that you have a clue what

you're doing with your life. Never forget Richard Cory.

If nothing else, my project, if fulfilled, will stop a lot of

runaway thought trains in their tracks. Just stand on 

Fifth Ave. in New York City for ten minutes and observe 

peoples' faces.  Q.E.D.

STOP RUNAWAY THOUGHT TRAINS!