If it works for you, then it works for me!

One less rattlesnake republican to vote in the next election.

He cited Mark 16:17-18 as the reason for his practice: “And these signs will follow those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

The son of a serpent handler who also died (1983) after being bitten [while lightning never strikes twice, rattlesnakes DO], Wolford was keeping the practice [of dying after snake bites] alive, both where it is legal and where it is not [the practice abuses wildlife]. Many serpent-handling Pentecostals avoid journalists [and embarrassment], but not [the late] Wolford.

What started as merely a festive outdoor service in the Panther Wildlife Management Area, a state park roughly 80 miles west of Bluefield, W.Va, ended on a brighter score:

Rattlesnakes 2 (or more)
Stupidity 0

The WAKE UP coin

I have mentioned Seleukos II and Bactria before, but I will mention it again.

I got a "pitch" in the mail about a coin - actually a distorted coin. Why would someone need to distort a coin? (Afraid of the truth?)

Above is the "distorted" truth sent to me as a "widow's mite. We know that the fable of the widow's mite in the western bible is a re-telling of the Buddhist fable known as "The widow and three merchants."

In the Buddhist fable, a widow finds two coppers (coins) in a dung heap and, in her destitution, contributes them to a band of monks.

In the Xtian re-telling of the fable, Jesus (a Jewish stand-up comic) delivers the punch line. Luke 21:1-4 (NKJV0), Mark 12:42 "And there came a certain poor widow..."

Check out "The Widow's Mites: Praise or Lament?" Even one's perspective is a matter of the original context - in mistranslation.

My point is this: "Is a distortion of the truth (numismatic evidence) a lie?" If it is a lie, is it a large, medium, or small lie? And does this little white lie come with whipped cream and a cherry on top?

Does this lie attempt to obfuscate the simple fact that Buddhism was present in Israel before, during, and after the time of the "Christ?"

So WHAT is the point? I am not advocating dualism - the truth v. the lie.

I am advocating THINKING on your part. What do people fear, and why do they fear it? What if it is the mask of AUTHORITY that hides them and devoid of their persona, they have no clothes?

Do you know that some people fear silence? If the absence of "life" is silence (instead of heaven, the Elysian Fields, 72 white grapes, &c) , then just what is the problem?


As a result, many make much noise about such a very small topic.

Noah's Ark and Nu Wa's Arc

William Cowper, an English poet of the 18th century, wrote: "The absence of proof is not proof of absence."

The scientist does not seek to prove that God does not exist by suggesting that the absence of proof supports the null God hypothesis. The scientist simply states that there is insufficient proof to make a reasonable inference in support of god(s).

There were many who insisted that our planet was flat but faced failure and humiliation with the advent of satellite photography.

We look upon the modern theocrats as merely being primitive in their thinking - akin to the rulers in the dark ages.

In fact, the resting place of the mega-boat is unknown. The folklore regarding great floods abounds and so great flood stories are classified as folklore.

Above is the arc (PQ) of a circle.

To scribe an arc, one makes use of a compasses.

Nu Wa is the sister of Fu Xi and she holds the compasses.

So there WAS a great flood (myth) and Nu Wa was involved with an arc. And there are three mountains of literature regarding flood myths.

The CoS of Buddhism

A Cos of Buddhism? Surely, you've got to be kidding!



No. I am not kidding and don't call me Shirley.



An anti-military organization with a decidedly militaristic bend.



They may not be "Moonies," but I - for one - am certainly tempted to moon them! So, we now can moon the Moonies, moon the Cos, and moon SGI. Things seem to happen in threes.

Get the picture?

Want the whole picture?

Mooning can be a form of art!

IMO, Like Cos, SGI is close to being a cult - very close.

If you see the Buddha, kill him.

The Ch'an (Zen) master Lin-chi said, “If you see the Buddha, kill him.”



Or, put in other words, "If you see a follower or advocate of SGI, CoS, or Moon, kick 'em in the arse."

Buddhism NOT (waiting for the altar call)

So after the SFZC event, I had a chance to chat with an old Zennie about the good old days.

The good old days ended just 20 minutes before you were born (regardless of your generation).

In fact, I spent 25 years (on the log) working in Broadcast (e.g. free, over-the-air) Television - retiring in 1998.

And the good old days of television ended just 20 minutes before I got my first job in television in 1971.

"The more things change, the more they stay the same."

Anyway, in the good old days of Richard Baker, [the discussion went...] just WHAT did some (wanna-bes) expect? AN ALTAR CALL!

There is a bit of fetchin' up HERE.

Well, there IS NO ALTER CALL in Buddhism!
And there are a few cracks in the gloss...
Don't trash the midgets!

CHANGE doesn't happen like on TV. Buddhism isn't Willy Graham and Cheeses on Rye!

The closest thing is Joya no Kane participation...

Medium sized here.

The Jumbo version is HERE.

The Toyokuni Shrine is an old Buddhist temple that was converted to a Shinto Shrine (WWII?).

Them Shinto Folks don't know how to SWING.

In my thinking, to do it (Joya no Kane) right, SFZC needs a 9 ton bell.

Zazen is nothing special.