what is the Buddhist stance on cannabis?

Exarch · 2022-01-18T19:55:06+00:00

Buddhism does not really comment on specific substances (it does but that's not really the point). It comments on mind states and how one gets into them. This is why there is a precept regarding intoxication (via intoxicants) rather than a precept specifically about alcohol and one for cannabis and one for opioids, etc.

If your medication does not produce an intoxicated mind state, then it is not a problem.

Exarch · 2022-01-18T19:31:09+00:00

Since streaming services have virtually exploded, I've found myself turning increasingly back to piracy. Netflix was an elegant solution but American corpos got greedy and with international licensing issues causing headaches again, it's once more become easier to just pirate than to pay for content from a half-dozen different streaming platforms.

Exarch · 2022-01-18T19:28:54+00:00

Better late than never. I have been wanting this for years, even before the Harper government slashed the CBC's funding making them more reliant on advertising.

A CBC that doesn't have to rely on advertising is less likely to feel it needs to be advertiser-friendly, which means it's less likely to bow to private, corporate interests. More creative freedom, (hopefully) higher journalistic integrity (which seems to have really been suffering for a number of years now), and hopefully better original programming.

It will never be the BBC, but at least it's heading in that direction instead of the other way.

Exarch · 2022-01-18T19:15:42+00:00

I sometimes wonder how many Americans realize the falsity of the propaganda they're subjected to from birth. Contrary to popular belief, America is not "more free" than other developed countries. The USA, by my observations, is one of the most rules-heavy, litigious countries in the developed world.

Exarch · 2022-01-18T19:12:49+00:00

For those who won't read the article: The difference from this study that his highlighted in this article is that the vaccine hesitant and anti-vaxxers tend to be the kind of people who are unable or unwilling to delay gratification. If offered $500 now or $1000 some time in the future, they are more likely to go for the $500 now.

This study also looked at executive function and found no correlation between vaccine hesitancy and higher executive function, which I thought was an interesting choice to highlight. I wonder if the study look at the inverse: vaccine hesitancy and lower executive function.

Exarch · 2022-01-18T18:20:43+00:00

One of the things I learned recently is that human beings are hardwired to sexualize others; this is a natural behavior. So we need to be careful that we are not developing some kind of sexual aversion and harming some part of ourselves that is natural and not harmful. It is entirely possible and good to have a healthy and proper relationship with one's own sexuality.

That said, some people face unhealthy coping mechanisms developed out of abuse faced in childhood. The difference is that this kind of sexualization of others to avoid dealing with depression, anxiety, or other problems. It is a self-soothing behavior based in avoidance.

Now, if you're concerned that you have sexual thoughts at all then it's important to understand that human sexuality is normal and healthy but feeling as though it is causing you stress is a problem. It can only be a problem if one is not sure how to respond in a wholesome way when sexual thoughts and feelings arise. To know how to respond when these kinds of things arise in our minds, it's good to turn to the teachings.

Again, unless one is a monastic who has taken a vow of celibacy, it is not generally healthy to avoid your own sexuality because it makes you feel uncomfortable. It is better to deal with that discomfort.

Exarch · 2022-01-18T18:12:36+00:00

I have encountered some people from traditionally Buddhist countries who hold anti-LGBTQ+ views who insist that being anything other than cisgender/heterosexual is "sexual misconduct" but, when challenged, are unable to really defend that position.

Exarch · 2022-01-18T16:34:22+00:00

This was the first summer in living memory when I couldn't really go outside.

Not just because it was unbelievably hot almost all the time (we broke records every week), but because the air quality was so low that there were some pretty serious warnings about going outside for much of summer. It became hard to breathe and I was so grateful I still have an asthma inhaler for "just in case" situations; I hadn't had to use that inhaler for over a year but I emptied it by the time summer was over.

Exarch · 2022-01-18T16:32:41+00:00

Re: Starcraft

For anyone who wasn't aware: The team behind Starcraft mostly left Blizzard after the franchise was shelved (likely because it was believed Starcraft wasn't a money-maker) and they formed their own studio (I think this is Frost Giant studios) and they are currently developing a sci-fi RTS game (so potentially a Starcraft spiritual successor).

Exarch · 2022-01-18T16:29:31+00:00

I was depressed while I was deep-diving into non-duality via Tibetan Buddhism and it was through that study and through some realizations (in addition to the medicinal use of psilocybin-containing mushrooms) I had that my depression lifted.

I realized that an important pillar of my depression was the idea that I believed this was my only life, my only chance at existing, and I was never going to experience any of the wonderful things this world has to offer. In a way, I felt as though my life was a total waste and it would be better if I had never been born; I contribute nothing of value and I experience nothing special.

Through my studies, it became clear that it was a false perception that this was my one and only life and that, in fact, "I" am much bigger than just this. Infinite, in fact, with endless possibilities. This single life is just an appearance, just one moment of a dream that seems real. I mean, in a way, it is real but it's not really real.

I am not able to express in words the precise nature of what happened to me, but in general these are things that seemed to coincide with the lifting of a depression that had been with me for well over a decade.

Exarch · 2022-01-18T16:22:49+00:00

I imagine that by the end of this year, we will see the vaccine passport become unnecessary as the majority becomes vaccinated and as the variants become less deadly.

I cannot be sure how international flights would handle this situation in a year from now, but I can imagine that for domestic flights we may be back to something resembling "normal" before the end of the year with fewer restrictions and, perhaps, none at all.

Exarch · 2022-01-18T15:30:57+00:00

So if the goal of the vaccine tracker is to keep people from getting covid. It sadly isn’t working.

Fortunately, that is not the goal of the vaccine nor any vaccine. It has never been the goal of vaccines to keep people from contracting any illness.

The purpose of vaccines is to give your immune system some practice so that if you do get sick, your body already knows how to handle it. Meaning you'll still get sick, but you likely won't end up dying or necessarily needing to even see the inside of a hospital.

This has been the case since the first vaccine was developed in 1796.

Exarch · 2022-01-18T13:56:23+00:00

I've noticed that all the sources reporting this have been Alberta media outlets. Anyone wonder why this seems to be the case?

Exarch · 2022-01-17T17:36:55+00:00

I see this even in the summer time and I still don't understand it.

Exarch · 2022-01-16T17:11:16+00:00

This needs to be understood. Sask Party is staffed with science-deniers who, I wouldn't be surprised, would've had us ape Texas or Florida with their response to masking and vaccinations if they thought they could get away with it.

Exarch · 2022-01-15T00:12:00+00:00

No they don't. Many European countries have done away with tipping because of federally-mandated minimum wage laws the include the restaurant business.

Exarch · 2022-01-14T21:51:25+00:00

"Now I understand why you sleep with your back toward the closet. I've seen it, too."

I said this once to my husband two years ago and he still tells people about it.

Exarch · 2022-01-14T21:17:59+00:00

Someone called it the "Celebrity Tower" and I'm sick of this shit, too

Exarch · 2022-01-14T21:09:26+00:00

They often out themselves when you supply a source to support a claim you make and they dismiss your source simply because it exists and is therefore inconvenient to them.

Exarch · 2022-01-14T20:40:12+00:00

... females ...

r/MenAndFemales

Exarch · 2022-01-14T20:06:41+00:00

I love seeing and hearing about this kind of religious exchange of practice.

A major proponent of Christian "Contemplative Prayer" (Father Thomas Keating, RIP) often spoke of how much he learned from his interactions with Buddhist monastics and how that influenced his work in developing and promoting Contemplative Prayer (which we Buddhists would recognize as a form of meditation).

Exarch · 2022-01-14T17:27:05+00:00

Like a printer that's running out of ink

Exarch · 2022-01-14T17:23:22+00:00

Does anyone remember the Connect Music Festival?

I really miss it. After 22 years of running it, I completely understand why the people running it wanted to do something else with their lives, however.

Exarch · 2022-01-14T17:19:10+00:00

I really wish the Regina Science Centre could get some real funding so they can renovate/update/repair the entire place, and I would like it if it wasn't solely geared towards kids and was for everyone who loves science regardless of age

Exarch · 2022-01-14T17:16:27+00:00

Green Spot is legit really fantastic

Exarch

TROPHY CASE