~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Valor consists in the power of self recovery."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson, whose original profession and calling was as a Unitarian minister, left the ministry to pursue a career in writing and public speaking.  Emerson became one of America's best known and best loved 19th century figures.

Once in the Jurassic about 150 million years ago,
the Great Sun Buddha in this corner of the Infinite
Void gave a Discourse to all the assembled elements
and energies: to the standing beings, the walking beings,
the flying beings, and the sitting beings -- even grasses,
to the number of thirteen billion, each one born from a
seed, assembled there: a Discourse concerning
Enlightenment on the planet Earth.

"In some future time, there will be a continent called America.

It will have great centers of power called such as Pyramid Lake,

Walden Pond, Mt. Rainier, Big Sur, Everglades, and so forth;

and powerful nerves and channels such as Columbia River,

Mississippi River, and Grand Canyon.  The human race in that era

will get into troubles all over its head, and practically wreck

everything in spite of its own strong intelligent Buddha-nature."

"The twisting strata of the great mountains and the pulsings
of volcanoes are my love burning deep in the earth.
My obstinate compassion is schist and basalt and
granite, to be mountains, to bring down the rain. In that
future American Era I shall enter a new form; to cure
the world of loveless knowledge that seeks with blind hunger:
and mindless rage eating food that will not fill it."

And he showed himself in his true form of

SMOKEY THE BEAR

• A handsome smokey-colored brown bear standing on his hind legs, showing that he is aroused and watchful.
• Bearing in his right paw the Shovel that digs to the truth beneath appearances; cuts the roots of useless attachments, and flings damp sand on the fires of greed and war;
• His left paw in the Mudra of Comradely Display -- indicating that all creatures have the full right to live to their limits and that deer, rabbits, chipmunks, snakes, dandelions, and lizards all grow in the realm of the Dharma;
• Wearing the blue work overalls symbolic of slaves and laborers, the countless men oppressed by a civilization that claims to save but often destroys;
• Wearing the broad-brimmed hat of the West, symbolic of the forces that guard the Wilderness, which is the NaturalState of the Dharma and the True Path of man on earth: all true paths lead through mountains --
• With a halo of smoke and flame behind, the forest fires of the kali-yuga, fires caused by the stupidity of those who think things can be gained and lost whereas in truth all is contained vast and free in the Blue Sky and Green Earth of One Mind;
• Round-bellied to show his kind nature and that the great earth has food enough for everyone who loves her and trusts her;
• Trampling underfoot wasteful freeways and needless suburbs; smashing the worms of capitalism and totalitarianism;
• Indicating the Task: his followers, becoming free of cars, houses, canned foods, universities, and shoes; master the Three Mysteries of their own Body, Speech, and Mind; and fearlessly chop down the rotten trees and prune out the sick limbs of this country America and then burn the leftover trash.

Wrathful but Calm. Austere but Comic. Smokey the Bear will Illuminate those who would help him; but for those who would hinder or slander him,

HE WILL PUT THEM OUT.

Thus his great Mantra:

Namah samanta vajranam chanda maharoshana
Sphataya hum traka ham nam

"I DEDICATE MYSELF TO THE UNIVERSAL DIAMOND
BE THIS RAGING FURY DESTROYED"

And he will protect those who love woods and rivers,
Gods and animals, hobos and madmen, prisoners and sick
people, musicians, playful women, and hopeful children:

And if anyone is threatened by advertising, air pollution, television,
or the police, they should chant SMOKEY THE BEAR'S WAR SPELL:

DROWN THEIR BUTTS
CRUSH THEIR BUTTS
DROWN THEIR BUTTS
CRUSH THEIR BUTTS

And SMOKEY THE BEAR will surely appear to put the enemy out with his vajra-shovel.

• Now those who recite this Sutra and then try to put it in practice will accumulate merit as countless as the sands of Arizona and Nevada.
• Will help save the planet Earth from total oil slick.
• Will enter the age of harmony of man and nature.
• Will win the tender love and caresses of men, women, and beasts.
• Will always have ripe blackberries to eat and a sunny spot under a pine tree to sit at.
• AND IN THE END WILL WIN HIGHEST PERFECT ENLIGHTENMENT.
  
  thus have we heard.

Gary Snyder (1930 - ) is an American poet, essayist, lecturer, and environmental activist.  He is a winner of a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.  As a poet, he has often been associated with the Beat Generation, and since the 1970s, has frequently been described as the 'laureate of ‘Deep Ecology’.  His work in his various roles reflects his immersion in both Buddhist spirituality and nature.  As a social critic, Snyder's views share something in common with Lewis Mumford and Aldous Huxley, among others.  He was for many years on the faculty of the University of California, Davis, and for a time served on the California Arts Council.  Per his instructions, Smokey the Bear Sutra "may be reproduced free forever."

Ever find yourself longing for the “good old days?”  When we thought we knew who the heroes and villains were?  When the “good guys” were rewarded and the “bad guys” got what they deserved and more? 

I was pondering the “black and white” era of the 1950’s when I suddenly had a longing to see one of my favorite childhood shows, Flash Gordon.  Imagine my delight when I found this incredible blog:

Tony LoBue’s Flash Gordon Web Site: http://flashgordon.ws/

Not only does this site have everything you’d ever want to know about the Flash Gordon series, it has the original music (!) and it’s loaded with incredible photos.  There's even a Flash Gordon Forum, where you can register and participate in discussions.

Enjoy!

__________________

The Book of Questions

by Gregory Stock, Ph.D.

A New York Times bestseller with over 1.9 million copies in print, THE BOOK OF QUESTIONS poses 265 questions that invite people to explore the most fascinating of subjects: themselves.  These questions are as intriguing as our very lives because they are about our lives-our fundamental values and beliefs, our dreams and nightmares about sex, money, love, power.

Some of the questions thrust you into a value-testing hypothetical situation (Would you accept 20 years of extraordinary happiness and fulfillment if it meant you would die at the end of the period?), some ask you to delve into your past (When is the last time you stole anything?) and help you find out if you've changed (Would you now return it if you could?), and others reveal your basic nature by examining your behavior (When you are given a compliment do you usually acknowledge it or suggest that you really do not deserve it?). Whether used as an avenue for personal growth, a tool for deepening relationships, or simply as an entertainment, THE BOOK OF QUESTIONS may be the only publication that challenges-and even changes-the way readers view the world, without offering a single opinion of its own. 

*************************  

This is a great little book to stimulate thinking and can be used with others or by yourself.  Many of the questions are probing and challenging to belief systems and attitudes.  It’s guaranteed to stimulate conversation in any group.  Several questions make me very uncomfortable and thus give me an opportunity to take a risk and learn something new about myself!  - A.G.R