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opposite is true truth is but a fleeting 'ping' reserve all judgements

mid-February any month is a good month for pork pies and ale

You mustn't. That's a fake list because Swami N isn't on it

Appreciate clarification on the nuances of above statement, assuming you are seeing the bigger picture here. How about directing more urgency to empathize with potentially vulnerable members who, if not for the timely interjections from seasoned cultivators, could've fallen for this pitch?

Three things, the Buddha said, that cannot be hidden for long: The sun, the moon, and the truth.

Courtesy of Thubten Kway

He probably has a couple of pairs of raybans at hand. Or maybe just squint now and again.

and bob's your uncle he does a mean fried ramen with all the trimmings

Honing a mental framework which is geared towards assimilation of the various teachings from a diverse pool is infinitely more nurturing. And less stressful. Dharma, after all, is not just about gathering and retaining knowledge - its to enable the innate wisdom mind to be polished so that gradually its clarity becomes apparent. Teachings, in essence, are expedients... tools that are useful, only up to a point. Knowing when to discard them is just as vital. Otherwise one ends up lugging a weighty boat even after crossing the river. We don't want to be mesmerised with the finger pointing at the moon. "How to awaken" is one such finger. When we lose the habit of being enthralled by the various fingers we will inadvertently see as we cultivate sharper discernment, we can begin the proper path to authentic freedom.

Is this a recruitment ad?

one just might get slapped! a timely belt now and then sure to keep one real

Thanks. I'd always assumed the Mahayanists often refer to the historical Buddha as Shakyamuni.

nothing left to say time to pay the bill and scoot Saint Valentine style

Basically, the more we believe in and therefore cherish (or abhor, or indifferent to) a self that over time assumes an identity merely from habitual reactions to sensory inputs, the more painful it is whenever our perceived comfort zone gets knocked. The self is not the real issue. Its more the assumptions around it that bring about stress.

The specific practice is known as Tonglen. Plenty of information, including video teachings, on the subject.

Fwiw, Buddha's birth name was Siddhartha - "One who has attained the goal" is one translation of Siddhartha. Gotama/Gautama/Gautam identifies the clan and religious lineage his family belonged to.

Breathe in the world's suffering and breathe out your merit & virtues in exchange. Eventually you'll come to disentangle from habitual clinging and grasping to what is generally but mistakenly thought of as "me, mine, myself, and I". No greater freedom than this. Freedom from fear of loss, for one. Then pain will no longer have ownership. It'll still be there, of course, but no longer exclusive.

under the moonlight jukebox belting Neil Young's number coincidence much

A simple explanation to those familiar with the Mahayana ideal.

better than "The Who" sounds like the call of an owl on a hot tin roof

The topic is "Vegetarianism" It's a huge spectrum. Except for one or two posts, the rest have been pretty much on topic, no?

I've known a few vegans over the years. Even lived with one for a decade or so. Most of the others I'd befriended when living in Buddhist communes and retreat centres. We get along amicably, and I deeply enjoy vegan meals when dining out with my ex. Some of the fellow vegan members of the communities I spent time in do full time solitary retreats, meaning they live isolated from the rest, doing their respective practices from like 4am to about 9pm daily. Some of them unfortunately get quite ill at times, mainly because they picked up hepatitis while on pilgrimages, mostly to India and the general Himalayan regions. Somehow, whenever their illnesses recur, their existing vegan diet could never provide sufficient nutrients to aid recovery. For most, only a period (daily intake over a week or two) consuming bone broth and liver helps in regaining some colour in their cheeks. They never consider it as a moral dilemma. It is what it is, they say. They add the issue arises mostly if we dwell on it and something festers, leading to a dukkha of subject/object split. This is an infinitely more problematic struggle than any dietary stance one chooses to adopt. Or naught.

rain in the Bad Lands while the earth quakes in Turkey Mongolia seems fine

This