GrandmasterP

There was a docu on BBC TV yesterday evening with a guy journeying round the Tropic of Capricorn. He was in Mozambique where the land mine clearing dudes use local giant rats to sniff out the mines. When they find one they scratch above it but don't set it off. Pretty tame rats those were and bleddy big.

That was a very brave or very hungry neanderthal who first saw a crab and thought " Yum-yum , dinner."

I had a peek at it through a break in the clouds around 3am this morning ( incontinent puppy). Meh! Seen bigger.

There's an ancient tractor comes with the cottage, he was going to put it on eBay but I did him a deal. Handy little tools are tractors and it has a beach licence so I can potter up and down on it at low tide. There's no harbour but a berm-gate so the (crab) fishing boats are tractored through that then down the beach and launched from a trailer. His tractor , trailer and main boat are on hard standing in back of the cottage; he's sold his big boat and trailer but leaving me a dinghy that I doubt I shall be using very much if at all. Bit bleddy rough that North Sea and we don't eat crab. My fishing will be restricted to night lining, netting the beach or beach casting. Not sure yet what the regulations are for night lining or setting nets but beach casting with up to two rods is allowed ( and free) so there's always a few lads down there with rods when the tide's falling. We should be OK for fresh fish enough for the two of us.

Thing is the message from the real MoPai can be summed up as... " Feck off and leave us alone." MoPai is closed to westerners. End of. Nobody either on here or Space Cadet Panda has the first clue about what the Javanese MoPai get up to and the Javanese MoPai aint gonna tell either them nor us.

I've dabbled. Shared a staffroom with a geologist once and went on a coupla field trips with him. Fascinating area, makes you really stop and look at stuff. I've no idea what I'm looking at rocks wise without an expert on hand though. Thing is with your guy he'll possibly change according to how the vegetation grows or dies back.

Attend or start a QiGong class. If you build it, they will come.

I know! That one had me reaching for the smelling salts. Great motto though.

Is it rock or vegetation?

That elevation in the photo is landward, there's a berm and then the sea is behind that on the other side. Hence prevailing onshore wind and rain hits the other side and that's all just wall with no windows or doors. It's pretty well sheltered and has only flooded ( on record) once in 1953 and that year most of that coast was pretty much wiped out with huge loss of lives hence the sea defence berms there now. Roofs go on last here in traditional builds cos you have to build the walls before you can put the roof on. Timber framed houses they build like you do yours in the USA frame up, roof on then the walls etc next. However timber framed new builds are not so easy to finance so we don't tend to have many of them in the UK outside of some big cities. Mortgage lenders are notoriously conservative and prefer lending against more traditional bricks and mortar homes. Also zoning and planning laws are very tight here and tend to insist that a new house is built using materials to match existing homes in the same location. My theory with this place is that as it has lasted 200 years thus far then it'll probably outlast us. If it does blow away there are three decent sized net sheds on the plot ripe for conversion.

The two storey bit in the middle is the original and over 200 years old. All the other bits are later additions. There's only the one overhead power cable and that tends to blow down during gales so it's basically run as 'off grid" to be on the safe side. Oil central heating and a 'back up' generator. We have stocked up on oil and candle lanterns. There's no mobile 'phone signal within two miles but it has downline broadband. Gods bless British Telecom!

Quan Yin's venerated in most Taoist temples and there's generally a Taoist shrine somewhere on the precincts of most Buddhist temples east of Suez. Quan Yin nembutsu ( chanting the name of) cultivation is really taking off in Thai Buddhism too. Anybody can cultivate nembutsu, it's very democratic. No 'clergy' required. I've posted some Pure Land resource links over on the Buddhism thread if anyone's interested.

Well Jack's comment that... "Not the case at all. The Karma Kagyu (or shentong view for that matter) does not have a monopoly on Vajrayana. Arguments between shentong and rangtong are irrelevant when considering that Mahamudra is the definitive view and path for the Sarma schools. ".. Clinched it for me. Argument over as far as I can see.

It's a wise man who acknowledges his mistakes. You're doing that lineage no favours here buddy as I'm sure that your teachers would agree. It simply is not done to compare apples with bananas and status claims are puerile. I can see that your first language isn't English so maybe your abrasive tone is simply down to unfamiliarity with written niceties. Eithervway I'll leave it to your conscience as to whether or not you believe anything positive can be accomplished for your school by your continued posts concerning it on this and other threads. You are not an official spokesperson for the school or lineage and might best be advised to leave posting about it to those who are. Not that any respectable teacher from any school would engage in such fripperies.

Here

New house

TTC 10... "Can you cleanse your inner vision until you see nothing but the light? Can you love people and lead them without imposing your will?" Doesn't seem like these Russian dudes can. Given time, they might. You can always tell when someone is clutching at straws on here. They start banging on about whose lineage is the best and why. The lineaged Bums never do that, we know better.

Anyone tells me that they are a sceptic and I tell 'em.. " I don't believe you."

"...it's just a rather mindless spouting of opinions based on preconceived notions or worse, outright projection and this undermines any credibility from said source, rendering it, in my perception, invalid and useless." Twitter could adopt that as its motto.

No chance. Welcome to The Bardo!

Yay. Super moon. Boo Cloudy and raining here.

Close enough.

Hermeticism Eremitic Quietism , accurately; is a Christian pietistic path. Look up and learn should you choose to do so. Hope that helps.

Ssshhhhh BKA. I'm selling him London Bridge via PMs