3bob

actually the historic Buddha contradicts that generalization...

True enough ForestOE, and that holds for awhile, but only for awhile...

if a hammer is happy being a hammer and a nail is happy being a nail (etc.) then: "I'd rather be a sparrow than a snail Yes I would, if I could, I surely would I'd rather be a hammer than a nail Yes I would, if I only could, I surely would Away, I'd rather sail away Like a swan that's here and gone A man gets tied up to the ground He gives the world its saddest sound Its saddest sound I'd rather be a forest than a street Yes I would, if I could, I surely would I'd rather feel the earth beneath my feet Yes I would, if I only could, I surely would "I'd rather be a hammer than a nail , yes I would if I only could, I surely would" El Condor Pasa By Simon and Garfunkel

yea, there was a certain pleasure to be had in driving a $175, '58 Plymouth in the late '60's in hedonistic southern Califiornia, for instance watching all the rich guys with their Porches and BMW's quickly yield to me as I put that big tuna boat anywhere I wanted to on the road. (as long as the cops weren't around) how many life times ago was that, at least 4...

every time we get in the car and drive somewhere we have to have some faith, otherwise we would never drive the car. (unless it was an indestructible '73 New Yorker)

just morphing a Christian saying, which may have some esoteric meaning?

ok, don't hate the dysfunctional hate the dysfunction

even sea gulls laugh as they dive bomb with their turds

Our gov. is dysfunctional but not as bad as some thus the 1% more or less still holds. (for an few days, weeks or months - maybe)

Solomon went beyond his "Vanity of vanities" hopefully we can to...

since when does a good Mother treat her children as "straw dogs" in an indifferent and "could care less" context.... thus that term straw dog is very often if not almost always misused and misunderstood

on the other hand its easy to see why people might feel nihilistic, depressed, pissed off, negative and so forth unless they are close to and living in impartial natural world of bounty instead of in a soul crushing life as a suffering human being seemingly abandoned by Tao...

it is good beyond human good and evil

of course any wise master or "heavenly" being would not attempt to convince anybody of anything, for then they would not be wise but foolish... for instance and by analogy does a star attempt to convince a tiny moon existing somewhere of its solar light or does it just shine on?

all those things, including mind which is also a thing, have a master, that master is Self. Self has zero doubt for doubt is of the mind.

Do you have faith in karma or does it need help in getting its job done ? (being that there are serious injustices pending resolution that you know of and or are a part of, yet there only being so much time for you to see resolution take place)

those "who merit" it is a major can of subjective worms - obviously. Thus I'd say its more of a mystery since certain beings can see parts of mystery that are revealed to them which is way beyond a shallow, "don't call us we'll call you scenario" of who has earned what, by the way the enlightened have no personal choice or designs in what they are doing since they are part and parcel to Spirit which decides for an apparent them which it is working through.

I have not been following in this thread, but in response to the op: a certain amount of dealing with other realms and beings is par for course... one has to pass certain passes and it is the job of beings and or forces that are part and parcel of those aspects to be dealt with, call them keepers - keepers who are not fooled or by-passed. Having said that if the need is great enough and pure enough they will know and a soul may pass, otherwise it's a no go. (which is also like a law of inductive reactance acting as built in protection, thus a near zero ego inductance is a requirement for a go...)

(a spin off "Back to the Future") If Trump is Biff, Doc is Bernie Sanders, Bush is McFly Sr. and Hillary is his wife, who is Marty? (it can't be Rubio)

I'll have to go to youtube and retry that video Taomeow, thanks for your interest.

Great story Aussie, btw. Apech never told us he went to Australia and got lost out-back...but of course he has his right to privacy.

don't take that personally Luke, and I wasn't alluding to this string any more or less than to many hundreds of others that have contemplative people quotes... anyway some of the good contemplative quotes can also be correlated to and used by people struggling in the world. (via analogy)

Have you seen Trump on TV, he's a complete and well rounded A-hole and dangerous

I to like contemplative type quotes often based on a protected type of lifestyle or out in nature somewhere, even if they hardly apply to a high percentage of us who are living in and dealing with the "world".

yes but that is only literally not esoterically