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Author: Warren Tang
I write about linguistics and philosophy. I also write poetry and take photographs.
Trilakshana – the marks of existence in Buddhism
If ever there were important discoveries they are these.
The Buddha said there are three marks of existence – impermanance, suffering and no-self. Everything (yes, everything) in the world is impermanent. There are no exceptions to this. We suffer because we think there is something permanent. It doesn’t matter what that thing is, if one thinks it is permanent then we suffer the consequences for that belief. More often than not the thing we believe most to be permanent is the self. And The Buddha unequivocally states even this is impermanent.
Know that there is no self would end suffering which in turn leads to the understanding of impermanence.
But coming to this understanding is harder than it sounds. It usually takes years of training. When you have achieved this, though, rest assured you will be enlightened. Good to know, isn’t it.
Structures in nature maybe inbuilt geometrics
In the past people have marvelled at the intricacy of nature and at times have attributed it to some kind of divine power. ‘How could something so perfect and complex,’ they would ask, ‘be created by chance?’
Now a team of scientists in Russia have shown how electroplating if left unchecked can create structures remarkably similar to structures of leaves, trees, buds and corals, suggesting that the patterns in nature may be following some kind of geometric formula.
The shapes created truly looked like unscented gardens.
What does the underside of the Arctic ice look like?
What an amazing expedition.
I just finished watching Under the Pole. It’s about an expedition to trek from the North Pole towards land all the while doing dives (51 to be exact) to film the little seen underside of the Arctic Ice. Some fantiastic footage of unusual ice formations and creatures (arctic shrimp, sea angels and more) in their habitat. The ability of man to take on and survive in such an inhospitable environment is truly amazing.
Definitely worth watching if you get a chance.
David Suzuki – the DVD
If you haven’t heard of David Suzuki, you have now.
A DVD about this Japanese-Canadian environmentalist, David Suzuki, has been just released.
The number of Hiroshima A-bombs …
… 168.
That is how much Cesium has been released from the Fukushima nuclear accident. But that is still only one-sixth of the Chernobyl accident.
On Heidemarie Schwermer and Tiger Woods – “Money distracts us from what’s important.”
“Money distracts us from what’s important.” Heidemarie Schwermer
According to this article she has been living without money for 15 years, living purely on bartering or by trading work for the things she needs. I have also said this – that money causes many of our problems – for sometime now, that a society driven by money doesn’t work.
So is it possible to live with money and still remember what is important?
I think it is but very difficult. It takes training, much like Tiger Woods and how he was trained by his father to concentrate with a lot of background noise (crowd noise) during golf. Speaking of Tiger Woods I feel sorry for him because not only are his distractions external but they are now internal as well. I wish him luck to find peace within himself and with-out with those whom he had hurt. People make mistakes. So forgiveness is important. And on his part sincerity of repentence is his work.
In some ways he was distracted by money and the trappings that came with it. He had forgetten the things which are important. Most of us are more fortunate to have less money and fame. At least I feel it is fortuitous to be neither too rich nor too poor. Call it the Middle Way. Call it the Goldilocks Zone. Whatever the name this idea is not new, it has only been ignored or belittled.
Good news … animals flee faster than we think
It is good to hear that animals know when to run and that when they do run they do it fast.
The shifts of habitat due to climate change has been worrying for the biodiversity of the planet. So this study is a welcome finding. But should we continue to live the way we have because of this? For me we should learn to live less damaging lifestyles even though it is in our “nature” to live the way we do. We have the ability to do so much harm but also it is this ability which could allow us to so much good.
The choice is ours.
The answer to life and everything is … 8.7 million
That is how many species there are on the planet.
At least this is the best estimate we have, plus or minus one million.
Of these only 1.2 million have been described, most of which are of land lifeforms. This equates to 14% of land life and 9% of ocean life that we have a name for.
We really know very little about ourselves and our planet.
How feasible is green energy?
According to Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry the country’s energy from renewable sources accounted for only 1 percent of the total energy gneration in 2009. And that number has improved in much 2011 though efforts, verbally at least, have increased due to the Fukushima Incident.
Why is this so? Well, it takes area of 65 square kilometers of solar panels to generate the same amount power of one nuclear reactor. Now that is not efficient, is it? The same problem goes for wind power generation. And we have yet to talk about the cost here.
No, the aim for 20% of energy from renewable sources by 2020 in Japan just seems near impossible though an accident of the size we had in Fukushima may well change that. One has to ask why must we wait for such things to happen before we act.
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