TR to Moscow

[Sculpto]

Where is the "Off Topic Icon" ?

Its my thread.. I can wander anywhere I want..

[Sculpto]

That is why they are called coincidences If they were mundane, nobody would pay any attention to them.

Did artist specify that the work after death would be the rainbows? No. You simply linked two events that are independent events.

May be rare, but still happens.

Well, it proves to you your belief, but to a skeptic such as myself it is still a coincidence. Perhaps rare, but a coincidence nonetheless.

People say that right until something happens that makes them change their point of view.  So, there is no point in asking if you believe in ghosts LOL.

[Diplomacy]

Lol I think Sculpto was still talking about a trip with magic mushrooms.  So not off topic.

[SANDRO43]

But I bet he never saw a walking rainbow, as I did in June 1997 around 11 am while teaching LAN optimisation to a group of IT specialists (not a very art-oriented crowd) in a bank in Lucca, Tuscany. So I have witnesses, too .

There had been a summer thunderstorm early that morning, after which the weather had cleared up and the sun was coming through strongly. Looking out of the window, I noticed the end of the rainbow very close to us, say about 500 meters away, and I called a break to our session so that everybody could witness that beautiful natural show. As we stood and watched in wonder, we could see it slowly marching to the east as the sun at our backs moved on its westward path. The slow movement was appreciable because of the gradually changing background of houses and trees in the distance, first shimmering through the rainbow colours then returning to their normal appearance. An unforgettable performance.

We had a coffee break immediately afterwards (no mushrooms served, though ).

[Ooooops]

No sane person would ever meditate the way those monks do..

Last week we were in Kyoto and spent one night in Zen Buddhist monastery (they have a really nice small guesthouse).   Then in the morning we had 30 min meditation session.   I gotta tell you - I got out of it much saner than I went in.   

[SANDRO43]

Last week we were in Kyoto and spent one night in Zen Buddhist monastery (they have a really nice small guesthouse).   Then in the morning we had 30 min meditation session.   I gotta tell you - I got out of it much saner than I went in.   

What koan did they offer you ? Mu ?

[Ooooops]

What koan did they offer you ? Mu ?

No, it wasn't anything so serious, it was rather a quite time in the pretty Japanese garden.     The head of this little temple is actually educated in US (Rice University in Houston), so we had nice chat with him about it, as we used to live near by.   

[possum]

Last week we were in Kyoto and spent one night in Zen Buddhist monastery (they have a really nice small guesthouse).   Then in the morning we had 30 min meditation session.   I gotta tell you - I got out of it much saner than I went in.   

You confuse being saner with being more relaxed.. Those light meditation sessions are great tool for relaxation and clearing the head, but the same results can be achieved with a good night's sleep.. Had you actually become saner you would have realized it was a scam and a recruitment technique by the Zen cult, because the monks have a much stricter meditating routine than what they offer the tourists..

[Faux Pas]

BTW, Faux Pas.. love your avatar!.

Thanks possum! I've stolen it. It was one of the first landmarks in Tomsk I noticed before my first trip and wanted to be sure to see and take a picture of it. Wouldn't you know I haven't taken one of it myself yet.

On an earlier question you asked that I just noticed, yes I did notice one of the wooden houses tilted. Looked to me like half of it was sinking. I noticed gypsies all around the area begging for money but I didn't notice who lived there. I assume that is the one your speaking of?

[Misha]

Looked to me like half of it was sinking.

The cause: melting permafrost. Must of Siberia and the Russian Far East is built on frozen earth and mud (permafrost) that stays frozen year round. Permafrost is solid, until it melts. The wooden building built on top of permafrost heat the ground below and over time, melting the permafrost, and the building gradually sinks into the muck. The concrete buildings in permafrost regions of Russia, to avoid such problems, are built on stilts pushed deep into the ground. This leaves a layer of air between the first floor and the ground that allows the permafrost to keep frozen and stops the building from sinking in and eventually toppling over.

[possum]

Thanks possum! I've stolen it. It was one of the first landmarks in Tomsk I noticed before my first trip and wanted to be sure to see and take a picture of it. Wouldn't you know I haven't taken one of it myself yet.

On an earlier question you asked that I just noticed, yes I did notice one of the wooden houses tilted. Looked to me like half of it was sinking. I noticed gypsies all around the area begging for money but I didn't notice who lived there. I assume that is the one your speaking of?

It could be, but then the gypsies usually panhandle away from home, so I'm not sure.. If I remember correctly, the Gypsy house sits a few blocks away from the main drag and it's a three-story house..

The Chekhov monument is the funniest thing you're gonna see in Tomsk.. it's located near a restaurant called Slavyansky Bazar behind the regional administration building.. You should definitely see it in person and have your picture taken next to it.. just make sure to grab the handle of his umbrella with one hand and put the other on his shoulder.. That's what everybody does..

[Sculpto]

But I bet he never saw a walking rainbow, as I did in June 1997 around 11 am while teaching LAN optimisation to a group of IT specialists (not a very art-oriented crowd) in a bank in Lucca, Tuscany. So I have witnesses, too .

There had been a summer thunderstorm early that morning, after which the weather had cleared up and the sun was coming through strongly. Looking out of the window, I noticed the end of the rainbow very close to us, say about 500 meters away, and I called a break to our session so that everybody could witness that beautiful natural show. As we stood and watched in wonder, we could see it slowly marching to the east as the sun at our backs moved on its westward path. The slow movement was appreciable because of the gradually changing background of houses and trees in the distance, first shimmering through the rainbow colours then returning to their normal appearance. An unforgettable performance.

We had a coffee break immediately afterwards (no mushrooms served, though ).

LOOL Sandro.. actually I have seen a walking rainbow.. in Mexico.. high up on a plateau it was witnessed far in the distance whee a t-storm was dumping on the other side of the altoplano.. was amazing.. I have also been literally at the end of the rainbow as its base passed right over me.. also in the jungle.. no pot 'o gold though..

[SANDRO43]

.. also in the jungle.. no pot 'o gold though..

But plenty of mushrooms ?

[Sculpto]

You confuse being saner with being more relaxed.. Those light meditation sessions are great tool for relaxation and clearing the head, but the same results can be achieved with a good night's sleep.. Had you actually become saner you would have realized it was a scam and a recruitment technique by the Zen cult, because the monks have a much stricter meditating routine than what they offer the tourists..

Possum.. you are an expert in meditation practices now also?  And to think it is a scam is utterly ridiculous.  We have a Zen Center in SF that is open to the public for community outreach every weekend.  And the Green Gulch Zen Retreat is a beloved escape for people of all denominations.  Sheesh kid.. with all your perjuicios its amazing you can keep them all organized.    you've got an opinion on everything!  You are sounding more and more like a Texas redneck with every post.  LOL

[Sculpto]

But plenty of mushrooms ?

actually the psychopharmacology of southern Mexico is really extensive.. mushrooms.. morning glory.. tolohatche (devils weed) and a whole bunch of others I don't know the name of. 

OK, here is another story that will give the pragmatists fits...

When I first went to live down there I had a house on the side of the mountain.  To get to the market I walked about an hour each direction to the center of town.  About halfway in I would pass a particular house where every time I passed there was a very very old man sitting in the window.  He would smile at me and I would smile back, but, I thought nothing of it.  After a couple of months of this scene repeating itself day after day it happened that one day just as i passed this gentlemans house my left ear started to ring very loudly.  I immediately thought of the old man and even looked back at his house to see him looking right at me.  I thought to myself.. that was really weird. 

A couple of hours later I had finished my market stops and had dropped into a cafe for an espresso.  Just after I arrived three friends arrived and invited me to go to visit with a very famous old "curandero".  Guess where we ended up?

For the next two years I spent a lot of time with this man.  I learned a lot about the hundreds of plants he grew in his garden which he used to heal people.  One day we walked through the garden and he handed me a little of this and a little of that and told me to chew on them for a couple minutes.. all I can say is ..............  I deduced later that what he gave me was salvia divinorum or some variation of it. 

Don Filogonio never took a penny from anyone for his cures.  He had a huge collection of post cards from people all over the world who had come to him with uncurable diseases which he had cured.  When John Paul 2 came to Mexico he landed in the airport in Tuxtla, got in his PopeMobile and drove directly to the house of Don Filo and awarded him with some kind of commemoration from the Vatican.  Don Filo's ancestors had been burned at the stake by the Inquisition for being "witches".  He never attended school and never learned to read.  His Spanish was poor and half the Mayan I can speak I learned from him.  He died in 1994 and his son, Don Damien, took over as the curandero of bariio San Ramon.

[SANDRO43]

Sculpto, I don't know how deeply you have looked into Zen meditation techniques. I have no direct personal experience, but I've read quite a few books on the subject and, to me, they appear to fit quite well within what I consider the basically psychotic nature of Japanese mentality.

Most Eastern meditation techniques aim at getting the disciple to quieten the analytic part of his/her mind (left hemisphere of the brain) so that the other, synthetic part (right hemisphere) may emerge and offer a different perspective.

To obtain this, the Zen teacher gives his disciple a koan, i.e. a paradoxical proposition for which no logical answer exists. For example, he may clap his hands and ask the disciple: "What sound does a single hand clapped make ?". To which he may accept an answer like "Cows moo deeper in August" .

It's like placing a pebble within a clockwork mechanism to halt it, and see what happens as a consequence.

Compared to the more gradual technique of Rajah Yoga, for instance, which progresses through the stages of Concentration, Meditation and Contemplation, Zen appears to me deliberately violent, and no wonder that disciples in Zen monasteries spend years and years doing menial jobs before they are admitted to the above form of instruction.

[possum]

Possum.. you are an expert in meditation practices now also?

It dudn't take an expert to see through the BS these Buddhist cults are putting out there to trick more people into joining their little cults.. Here in Tomsk we just had a major scandal involving a Buddhist sect trying to recruit more members by having these 'Buddhist culture evenings' at different publicly owned venues.. Thankfully, the Orthodox Church intervened and exposed these crooks for being a bunch of cultists that they are.. They found out that these Buddhist 'historians', or whatever they called themselves, were actually missionaries for some charismatic Buddhist sect leader whose name escapes me right now.. Now, that was a certifiable scam - a bunch of cultists masquerading as secular historians..

 

[Faux Pas]

It could be, but then the gypsies usually panhandle away from home, so I'm not sure.. If I remember correctly, the Gypsy house sits a few blocks away from the main drag and it's a three-story house..

The Chekhov monument is the funniest thing you're gonna see in Tomsk.. it's located near a restaurant called Slavyansky Bazar behind the regional administration building.. You should definitely see it in person and have your picture taken next to it.. just make sure to grab the handle of his umbrella with one hand and put the other on his shoulder.. That's what everybody does..

possum,

Oh yeah I've seen the Chekhov. Sat on a bench by it or it was the river wall? I can't remember but I didn't have my camera. That was one of the few times I didn't have my camera. I was planning on going back down there but didn't. Another time we were down there with a camera just down from the Chekhov but got side tracked for something I don't remember. I'll get it next time.

The cause: melting permafrost. Must of Siberia and the Russian Far East is built on frozen earth and mud (permafrost) that stays frozen year round. Permafrost is solid, until it melts. The wooden building built on top of permafrost heat the ground below and over time, melting the permafrost, and the building gradually sinks into the muck. The concrete buildings in permafrost regions of Russia, to avoid such problems, are built on stilts pushed deep into the ground. This leaves a layer of air between the first floor and the ground that allows the permafrost to keep frozen and stops the building from sinking in and eventually toppling over.

Interesting. I had no idea

[possum]

possum,

Oh yeah I've seen the Chekhov. Sat on a bench by it or it was the river wall? I can't remember but I didn't have my camera. That was one of the few times I didn't have my camera. I was planning on going back down there but didn't. Another time we were down there with a camera just down from the Chekhov but got side tracked for something I don't remember. I'll get it next time.

Yeah, it's an embankment of some sort.. How many times have you been to Tomsk?. Does your gf live in the city or is she from one of the smaller towns in the region?.

[Faux Pas]

It could be, but then the gypsies usually panhandle away from home, so I'm not sure.. If I remember correctly, the Gypsy house sits a few blocks away from the main drag and it's a three-story house..

I don't remember the exact location as they all started running together for me. Although I do remember much of Academia town. But we had ridden an electric rail train down a thoroughfare where there were wooden houses on both sides for many blocks. We got off and walked for a while and thats where I saw the sinking house and the gypsies. They (women and children) were sitting along beside the sidewalk.

[possum]

I don't remember the exact location as they all started running together for me. Although I do remember much of Academia town. But we had ridden an electric rail train down a thoroughfare where there were wooden houses on both sides for many blocks. We got off and walked for a while and thats where I saw the sinking house and the gypsies. They (women and children) were sitting along beside the sidewalk.

Oh, you got to ride in a tram.. That's something I haven't done since the 90's!. I'm going to check the routes and see if any of them run through the neighborhood where the Gypsy house is..

[Faux Pas]

OK, here is another story that will give the pragmatists fits...

When I first went to live down there I had a house on the side of the mountain.  To get to the market I walked about an hour each direction to the center of town.  About halfway in I would pass a particular house where every time I passed there was a very very old man sitting in the window.  He would smile at me and I would smile back, but, I thought nothing of it.  After a couple of months of this scene repeating itself day after day it happened that one day just as i passed this gentlemans house my left ear started to ring very loudly.  I immediately thought of the old man and even looked back at his house to see him looking right at me.  I thought to myself.. that was really weird. 

A couple of hours later I had finished my market stops and had dropped into a cafe for an espresso.  Just after I arrived three friends arrived and invited me to go to visit with a very famous old "curandero".  Guess where we ended up?

For the next two years I spent a lot of time with this man.  I learned a lot about the hundreds of plants he grew in his garden which he used to heal people.  One day we walked through the garden and he handed me a little of this and a little of that and told me to chew on them for a couple minutes.. all I can say is ..............  I deduced later that what he gave me was salvia divinorum or some variation of it. 

Don Filogonio never took a penny from anyone for his cures.  He had a huge collection of post cards from people all over the world who had come to him with uncurable diseases which he had cured.  When John Paul 2 came to Mexico he landed in the airport in Tuxtla, got in his PopeMobile and drove directly to the house of Don Filo and awarded him with some kind of commemoration from the Vatican.  Don Filo's ancestors had been burned at the stake by the Inquisition for being "witches".  He never attended school and never learned to read.  His Spanish was poor and half the Mayan I can speak I learned from him.  He died in 1994 and his son, Don Damien, took over as the curandero of bariio San Ramon.

Where I grew up we called this guy the "root doctor". Many rumors about him being a witch. Nothing ever confirmed but highly suspected. He lived to be well over 100 (forgot how long) years old and had constant visitors from all over the world. Had all of his teeth although they were wore down to nubs because of the pipe he smoked. There wasn't much of anything he couldn't cure. He lived in a very old house deep in the woods over looking the river. He was my best friends grandfather and I spent weeks at a time at his house. He kept one eye closed all of the time and was capable of some really spooky things. Very powerful old man.

[Faux Pas]

Yeah, it's an embankment of some sort.. How many times have you been to Tomsk?. Does your gf live in the city or is she from one of the smaller towns in the region?.

I have only been to Tomsk once but the country several times and yes she lives in the city in one of the tall soviet style apartment buildings not far from the tram. In fact you can hear it from her building

[possum]

I have only been to Tomsk once but the country several times and yes she lives in the city in one of the tall soviet style apartment buildings not far from the tram. In fact you can hear it from her building

I just looked at the updated map, and there is a tram stop in that neighborhood, although the Gypsy house is gone.. it says 'new construction' where it used to be..

[Sculpto]

Where I grew up we called this guy the "root doctor". Many rumors about him being a witch. Nothing ever confirmed but highly suspected. He lived to be well over 100 (forgot how long) years old and had constant visitors from all over the world. Had all of his teeth although they were wore down to nubs because of the pipe he smoked. There wasn't much of anything he couldn't cure. He lived in a very old house deep in the woods over looking the river. He was my best friends grandfather and I spent weeks at a time at his house. He kept one eye closed all of the time and was capable of some really spooky things. Very powerful old man.

there are actually people like this all over Mexico that range from charlatans to highly effective "native" doctors.  At Lake Catemaco, one of the most beautiful places in Mexico, there is a convention of sorts for "witches" which has over 60,000 attendees.  

http://www.catemaco.info/activities/brujos/