In virtute sunt multi ascensus

Ali praying after a day of travel and fasting in the Sahara

Bunch of Brazilians
Suleyman Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey.

Muslim Lady

Colleseum

Inside of Duomo

Bangkok

Outside of DuomoBuddha in Cambodia

Tibet

There is no wealth like knowledge, and no poverty like ignorance.
-Lord Buddha
Of all the conflicts taking place on this planet, that occurring in Tibet is one of the most fascinating. On one side we have the largest political entity on earth- The Chinese Communist Party, with its millions of soldiers, huge resources and secular aggressive ideology. On the other side we have the most profoundly religious people in the world. A nation in which Buddhism is so much a part of every living thing that the destruction of 5,000 monasteries, the execution and imprisonment of religious leaders, and driving of the Dalai Lama from his land has all failed to put out these peoples mighty spirit. No matter how many people they brutalize and how many Han Chinese they import, they will never rule the hearts of the Tibetan people. Their culture is everything that China could lay claim to before the Cultural Revolution. Indeed, on some level the war that the PRC is waging upon Tibet is more of a culture war (kulturkampf) than a conventional or guerrilla in nature. Even as Lhasa and other areas rise in revolt, it is known that they are only making symbolic resistance to show that they are not walking quietly to their death. As the overlords of the billion people within' the PRC try to integrate into the global capitalist market union, they face the reality of having a land they conquered roughly a half century early rising up to challenge them and their right to dictate the terms of life to a people that has lived on the Tibetan plateau since the beginning of time. I'm putting my money on the Tibetans, because they are fighting for the right to live as they see fit and also for the ability to practice their religion, were as the PRC merely uses fear and violence to achieve their ends. Too bad the international community is nothing but self serving capitalist cutthroats or else pressure could be brought to bear that would certainly lead to Tibet no longer having to live under the jackboot of Fascism. The reason I have confidence that they will persevere is stated brilliantly by His Holiness the Dalai Lama- "If there is love, there is hope that one may have real families, real brotherhood, real equanimity, real peace. If the love within your mind is lost and you see other beings as enemies, then no matter how much knowledge or education or material comfort you have, only suffering and confusion will ensue"

Zack's thoughts today

Just another day with me and the maze

think of your career and be filled with fear
gunna be fine, or so the rest always say
work so hard that you can't see yourself clear
wish I could get out, but alas I can't
never known anything but the hive
because I was born just like an ant
at this point, all I know is I'm alive
and that conformity is no longer an option
in spite of their mind numbing concoctions
the soul will slumber, but never die
trapped in this maze of men and sin
so when I look on modernity I don't cry
regardless of effort, their is no way to win
but you don't have to completely give in

I love how my fellow Americans view themselves as inherently intelligent. To do so requires a level of historical and geopolitical ignorance on such an unfathomable level that it almost impresses me. It's like talking to a Mormon who really thinks they are going to get their own planet or a Muslim who is counting on 72 virgins upon arrival in paradise- just no arguing with the devout. Napoleon once commented that the worst vice of a fanatic is their sincerity. Such is clearly the case in Imperial America. The faithful toil endlessly as the decadent aristocrats hatch plans of daring, destruction and profit. It is becoming progressively more evident that the government has the situation well in hand, and that the years of forced indoctrination (public schools) has yielded the desired harvest of completely subservient hardworking politically unorganized dependents. American history is like watching a new artist mold the familiar stone of humanity into some new and frightful form. Powerful, ignorant, arrogant and utterly rapacious in all ways... hell of a production. Not really sure if the person that has been created is a mutant or the next stage of civilization. I'm hoping we are anomalies and will serve as a warning to history of the folly of our ways, but something about our society seems to work a little better than most others. It could just be that our greedy love of possessions when coupled with the worlds best resources and a militaristic tradition was the perfect mix for world domination. Such is probably the case, but the subculture of this mighty Empire seems to still have art, soul, brains and heart- which have ever been the only tools capable of combating powerful centralized authority. In a very real way, most Americans are brainwashed beasts that hold nothing sacred and fear no consequence for their behavior. Luckily the universe has a bad ass sense of humor, so I'm confident that we will suffer in proportion to our excesses, and we will probably bitch like no other people in history. Allis well that ends well I guess.

Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! The world is holy! The soul is holy! The skin is holy! The nose is holy! The tongue and cock and hand and asshole holy! Everything is holy! everybody's holy! everywhere is holy! everyday is in eternity! Everyman's an angel! The bum's as holy as the seraphim! the madman is holy as you my soul are holy! The typewriter is holy the poem is holy the voice is holy the hearers are holy the ecstasy is holy! Holy Peter holy Allen holy Solomon holy Lucien holy Kerouac holy Huncke holy Burroughs holy Cas- sady holy the unknown buggered and suffering beggars holy the hideous human angels! Holy my mother in the insane asylum! Holy the cocks of the grandfathers of Kansas! Holy the groaning saxophone! Holy the bop apocalypse! Holy the jazzbands marijuana hipsters peace & junk & drums! Holy the solitudes of skyscrapers and pavements! Holy the cafeterias filled with the millions! Holy the mysterious rivers of tears under the streets! Holy the lone juggernaut! Holy the vast lamb of the middle class! Holy the crazy shepherds of rebell- ion! Who digs Los Angeles IS Los Angeles! Holy New York Holy San Francisco Holy Peoria & Seattle Holy Paris Holy Tangiers Holy Moscow Holy Istanbul! Holy time in eternity holy eternity in time holy the clocks in space holy the fourth dimension holy the fifth International holy the Angel in Moloch! Holy the sea holy the desert holy the railroad holy the locomotive holy the visions holy the hallucina- tions holy the miracles holy the eyeball holy the abyss! Holy forgiveness! mercy! charity! faith! Holy! Ours! bodies! suffering! magnanimity! Holy the supernatural extra brilliant intelligent kindness of the soul! -Allen Ginsberg 1956

mandala mind

I think my soul is officially full
drank too deeply of the ancient stream
overflowin' from too much knowin'
at least such is how it would seem

Childish enthusiasm changes to determination
my once small body and weak brain evolve
all done within this sadistic and sad nation
the question I was born to try and solve

So I still feel like I have something to say
primarily that there must be a better way
what is the distance from ignorance to understanding?
my honest best fails to ever express, just esoteric rambling

Be Brave

How does one go about trying to conform? It seems to me that you are either weak and naturally led, or you are one of those mighty souls that will never know a temporal master. You could be born a Nat Turner or a Julius Caesar, either way, you will never kneel to another and for all your days the knees of cowards will tremble at your approach. The weak always fall into line and will forever do the bidding of those that threaten and reward them. To those who live in fear, those who don't will always be demigods. It's almost as if fate dictates the course of our lives and at some point we all make that pivotal decision of whether we will be controlled or if we should take arms against a sea of troubles. As one of the most luminous men of history once said, "Better to die on your feet than live on your knees." Such words can only be spoken by people who no longer fear the reaper, for the rest, they can inspire while that intrepid soul leads them, but once it is gone they scatter to the winds of the ages. We stand at a state of our development were people are trying to substitute our innate desire to follow the strongest and bravest among us towards some sort of institutionalization of leadership, that does little beside produce the most contemptible human being to ever live- the politician. I sincerely believe that we can set ourselves free from the trend of externalizing power, but we can't do it by giving that power to others. Another wise man said "A coward dies many times before his death; the brave taste of death but once". I feel as though myself and my fellow humans are dying daily from our cowardice, inaction and distraction. In the brutally short existence we each live, their is no consolation or justification for spending your life in the service of something you know to be wrong. Fear not my friends, we will all be given a choice, and that decision shall echo in the expanse of space for many kalpas.

Another Day in the Empire

Every now and again I feel compelled to share some news stories that really stand out from the doldrums of post-industrial capitalism in this foul year of our Lord 2008. The first is vintage Bush going off about the need for more surveillance legislation; at his most emphatic and pretentious (click here). The second is some of the best writing ever from my favorite news source, The Onion, discussing how Bush has vowed to 'make it up' to the country in the closing months of his tenure as Fuhrer of the Fourth Reich (click here). The last is one of a much less amusing sort. It came out today that 1 out of every 100 adult males in these United States is now incarcerated at a jail or a prison. That number speaks for itself to such an extent that I don't even feel there is anything to say, other than sodomy rates must be higher here than in any other time in history (click here). I'm seriously wishing I was religious in these wild times. I know of no other language to describe the madness that has descended upon this earth except the eloquently epic language of the Vedas, Torah, Bible, Qu'ran or Sutras.
The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. -Psalms 9:17
Fear Not. What is not real, never was and never will be. What is real, always was and cannot be destroyed. -Bhagavad Gita
All know the Way, but few actually walk it. -Bodhidharma
The ink of the scholar and the blood of a martyr are of equal value in heaven. -Quran
The inhabitants of the earth are of two sorts:Those with brains, but no religion, and those with religion, but no brains. -Abu'l-`Ala' al-Ma`arri

SOS

If you ever find yourself wandering in a sea of confusion
I would like to offer up my humble, yet certain conclusion
which is that what we suffer is directly proportionate
to our self serving desire for an excess amount of shit
we can be starving demons with hollow eyes
or we can be eagles soaring in tranquil skies
you can lament the degradations of the cruel
or that we imprison the children in school
we live in a dark and dangerous war zone
shells fall all around without a sound
consume, kill, thrill, just pay your bill
the horrors are real and the pain immense
the beauty or banality, it all makes sense
even if not in the personal present tense
Some day it will all be over for you
sad, glad or mad; it's certainly true
Thus you must listen to the wise
then see things with your own eyes
"happiness belongs to the self sufficient"
ti's still a beautiful world, don't miss it