Is the state of California A Great Place to Visit, but Terrible Place to Live? (best, tree)

[grapico]

^^ I agree, I wouldn't want to live in Inland Empire either... It is a completely different world up here though. So yeah I guess I would say down there is a good place to visit, not a terrible place to live, not even close... but not the best either.

[Screw Sacramento]

Coyoteskye,

I do appreciate the sensitivity and consideration with which you make you posts. I'm still fairly unapologetic about the screen name; yep, it's crude, but that's the way I felt when I formed it and that's the way I feel now to a large extent. Stuck? Yes, I feel that way and like any person want to be happy. Our family wants to leave as soon as we can and we will.

You do have a lot of interesting psychological undertones to you posts. Have you studied psychology or are you just philosophical by nature?

[Clarks]

Did your dad re learn to ski at Alpine Meadows, shaggy red hair?

I appreciate your admiration for those who overcome great obstacles but you're not done "working", imo.
When you get to a place of humility and non-judgment, i'll send you a medal and a diploma

That is good Buddhism, The Dalai Llama and I are not buds, but, I have done a bit with the Tibetan Monks, don't you think there was an element of non humility to Buddha sitting under the Bodhi tree all those years?

Sometimes people can be quite vain about their humility, that turned me off to the American hip Buddhism scene, "I am more humble than you, therefore more superior."

My religion is harder than that, it needs wild canyons, wild horses, wild skies, and yes, wild women, I am fortunate that I live in a church. I watch the sun come up each morning through the cottonwoods along the creek, the first sacrament of the day. I like to think that springs have spirits. Like Robinson Jeffers (also the name of my horse, who is, after all, a wild mustang from the Nevada desert) I am a pantheist, like Jeffers, I have little tolerance for mankind.


A quiet camp on new green grass by a trickling spring, somewhere north of Los Angeles.

[coyoteskye]

Originally Posted by Clarks

Did your dad re learn to ski at Alpine Meadows, shaggy red hair?



That is good Buddhism, The Dalai Llama and I are not buds, but, I have done a bit with the Tibetan Monks, don't you think there was an element of non humility to Buddha sitting under the Bodhi tree all those years?

Sometimes people can be quite vain about their humility, that turned me off to the American hip Buddhism scene, "I am more humble than you, therefore more superior."

My religion is harder than that, it needs wild canyons, wild horses, wild skies, and yes, wild women, I am fortunate that I live in a church. I watch the sun come up each morning through the cottonwoods along the creek, the first sacrament of the day. I like to think that springs have spirits. Like Robinson Jeffers (also the name of my horse, who is, after all, a wild mustang from the Nevada desert) I am a pantheist, like Jeffers, I have little tolerance for mankind.


A quiet camp on new green grass by a trickling spring, somewhere north of Los Angeles.

No, that's not my dad.
If i went into too much detail i could be "tracked" and i don't like that idea ... as narcissistic and paranoid as that may sound ... or be.
I'm not a Buddhist although there are essential Buddhist principles that i certainly do appreciate.
I have no religion .... no dogma ... no system ... etc. and i'm not "spiritually constrained" by the thoughts and beliefs of other humans.
Do i think "there was an element of non-humility to [that] Buddha sitting under the Bodhi tree for all those years"?
How so? .... i'm not sure where you're coming from / where your awareness is in that regard.

[coyoteskye]

Originally Posted by Screw Sacramento

Coyoteskye,

I do appreciate the sensitivity and consideration with which you make you posts. I'm still fairly unapologetic about the screen name; yep, it's crude, but that's the way I felt when I formed it and that's the way I feel now to a large extent. Stuck? Yes, I feel that way and like any person want to be happy. Our family wants to leave as soon as we can and we will.

You do have a lot of interesting psychological undertones to you posts. Have you studied psychology or are you just philosophical by nature?

You could change your screen name as an experiment ... to see how when you put out a different vibe you receive different energy from people.
No need to apologize though.
But it's a very harsh and jagged name and actually, until i looked at your profile yesterday, i thought you were a man, perhaps on the verge of "going postal". (i'm exaggerating).
But i'm probably not the only one who has responded to you as though you were an angry male ... which is cool ... if that's what you want.
I have insight because it's part of my nature and i have insight because i've struggled fiercely to overcome my own inner obstacles including deep and disabling depression, despair, hopelessness, spiritual "darkness", etc..
My "path" has required (requires) a great degree of self awareness and objectivity ... so i'm relatively tuned in ... to myself and others.
My dad is much like Clarks (talking about you man ) in some key ways and so it's fun to challenge him as his intellectual capacity is far superiour to that of my fathers who, when i used to challenge him as a younger person, he'd just kinda go blank, get flustered and agitated and walk away. lol
Wow ... this is all a bit personal for the CA forum ... oh well.

[Clarks]

No, that's not my dad.
If i went into too much detail i could be "tracked" and i don't like that idea ... as narcissistic and paranoid as that may sound ... or be.

Being tracked is certainly something to worry about on the internet.

Buddha Bodhi Tree,

Let us switch locations, a buddha type, a wanna be Mahatma sits in a hollow redwood just off the Big Sur highway, people stop and talk, he says, "hey, I been sitting here under this redwood tree for 20 years, because I have done this, I am really cool. The women over at Essalen bring me fresh baked carrot bread every day and wait breathlessly for my approval, I am pretty cool eh?"

Since what we know about Buddha was written by others, it is entirely possible that he took great pride in sitting under that tree offering aphorisms to passersby.

[coyoteskye]

Originally Posted by Clarks

Being tracked is certainly something to worry about on the internet.

Buddha Bodhi Tree,

Let us switch locations, a buddha type, a wanna be Mahatma sits in a hollow redwood just off the Big Sur highway, people stop and talk, he says, "hey, I been sitting here under this redwood tree for 20 years, because I have done this, I am really cool. The women over at Essalen bring me fresh baked carrot bread every day and wait breathlessly for my approval, I am pretty cool eh?"

Since what we know about Buddha was written by others, it is entirely possible that he took great pride in sitting under that tree offering aphorisms to passersby.

It is a concern ... some crazy, "liberal" hating, CA "hippie" hating, "intellectual" hating, savage lunatic could read enough of my posts and wanna kill me.
And if i provided enough information in little bits and pieces on various forums, it's possible someone could find me ... or anyone.
These days, it's not a far out scenario i suppose. Weird!

Buddha:
Poseurs are everywhere and they often flourish rather clearly and obviously (and odiously) in the fields of religion / spirituality.
The so-called Christian with a plastic smile and hatred and intolerance in his heart is a common example and yeah, there are Buddhist poseurs as well but so what?
To dismiss the essence of Buddhism (or the essence of Christ) 'cause of stupid humans is a mistake.
And the historical Buddha, ie; Siddhartha, (Buddha mean "awakened one" - a Buddhist maintains that there are countless Buddhas in the phenomenal world (not necessarily "here") and that we all have Buddha nature ... we all have the potential to wake up) unlike Jesus, disseminated a tremendous amount of teachings, while he was alive, to suit so many different natures.
I believe those many, many teachings remain intact and were "recorded" during his life.
I'll check with my Buddhist buddy on this for more accurate info.
That other stupid humans make stupid religions out of essential teachings / principles .... ho-hum ... what else is new?
And finally, no i don't feel or see or intuit that Siddhartha had the kind of pride that you speak of.
That's the guy under the redwood tree trying emulate him ... but it's not him.
And by the time Siddhartha got under that tree he had basically given up any spiritual "ambition" and was done with the austerities, the "rules of spiritual engagement", "systems of improvement", etc., etc. and just sat there, refusing to budge until It happened ... which apparently it did but i dunno.
I don't need to.

[Clarks]

Now, remember, Buddhism isn't a religion, merely a way of living.

[coyoteskye]

Originally Posted by Clarks

Now, remember, Buddhism isn't a religion, merely a way of living.

People like to think and say that but it's not so.
Even Zen, the most sparse expression of Buddhism includes some degree of religiosity although it's relatively easy to bypass it.
I guess we'd have to come to an agreed upon definition of "religion" but we're hijacking a thread and certainly do not want to go over to the religion&philosophy hell hole of a forum.

[Clarks]

I don't get all that wrapped up in religion, as long as I am fed red meat often enough.. And since the best steaks in the world are found on the central coast, I have reached Nirvana, here is the very livable state of California.