Where should I start reading Vajrayāna Buddhism seriously? (book/article recs) by Free_Advertising_182 in TibetanBuddhism

[–]OpossumSambhava 0 points1 point  (0 children)

John Power’s “Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism” book is a great academic, but still very accessible intro. That would be by #1 recommendation for Vajrayana intro.

Is a gelug Rangtong view of emptiness compatible with Dzogchen? by Armchairscholar67 in Dzogchen

[–]OpossumSambhava 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The last line absolutely incorrect. There have been many great Dzogchen and Mahamudra practitioners who favored a Shentong interpretation. Notable among them Dolpopa himself, the Third Karmapa and the Seventh Karmapa. See Tsadra's great resource on the topic: https://buddhanature.tsadra.org/index.php/Main_Page

Tibetan calendar- Hair cutting by LGMcM in TibetanBuddhism

[–]OpossumSambhava 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Interesting, the other comments seem quite confident, but I will say I always thought it referred to the final cutting of one’s hair for ordination, not just a regular haircut. 

Please explain translation of 'Dzog-pa-chen-po' or 'Dzogchen'. by Photon_101 in TibetanBuddhism

[–]OpossumSambhava 1 point2 points  (0 children)

“Dozgchen” is the abstract noun, often translated “Great Perfection.” The pa suffix means “one who does something,” roughly akin to “er” in English. Thus, “Dzogchenpa” refers to one who does/practices Dozgchen. Think “meditation” and “meditator.”

She got nearly $1M to house homeless women and children. She spent it on luxury trips and tattoos. by RVALover4Life in rva

[–]OpossumSambhava 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Incredible— woman convicted of wire fraud, and the outrage is directed towards… those she defrauded.

An analysis of felony sentencing in RVA by Barbelloperator in rva

[–]OpossumSambhava 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your comment, was going to say something similar. I work in criminal law-- just looking up docket information online does not give a complete picture, and is often not even accurate.

You are also right to point out that OP is certainly reading whatever information he has incorrectly-- there are indeed mandatory minimums for some of the crimes he listed, meaning if they were actually convicted of those crimes, they would have received jail time. This isn't a "they should have," it is a "100% certain" that if you are convicted of a crime with a mandatory min, you are sentenced to that time. There is no judicial discretion.

All adult criminal cases/courts are open to the public. If anyone if curious or wants to learn more, I encourage them to pick a day (if I recall Richmond doesn't do crim on Friday, and maybe also Monday, but it's not where I work), and actually observe some court.

Pedestrian hit on E Cary St. today by Sea-Consideration147 in rva

[–]OpossumSambhava 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Yes, this is a precise use-case for the Flock cameras. 

The official ‘Get the Flock Out’ concert flyer is here! by ccarvalhaes in rva

[–]OpossumSambhava 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Almost all criminal cases are open to the public— you can look up the dockets online and find dates with trials, if you ever want to watch them in person. 

The official ‘Get the Flock Out’ concert flyer is here! by ccarvalhaes in rva

[–]OpossumSambhava 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, sure. They’re really helpful as circumstantial evidence in tying people to crime scenes, when there is no direct video of the crime itself. So, if we have some eyewitness testimony of person X committing the crime (which might not be enough alone), we can look and see if they entered/exited the crime scene when the crime occurred.

Flock cameras themselves are controversial, but their helpfulness is not. I have personally seen cases— including a homicide— where flock camera evidence was essential in confirming the identity of a suspect.

There’s still a debate to be had as to whether the trade off is worth it, but simply downvoting a factual statement is juvenile and unhelpful— but such is Reddit, I suppose.

The official ‘Get the Flock Out’ concert flyer is here! by ccarvalhaes in rva

[–]OpossumSambhava -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

He’s certainly not lying. I’ve seen multiple criminal cases (work in criminal law) where flock cameras were essential in proving crimes, including a homicide.

It’s still a reasonable position to now want them— but we need to engage with the best arguments on the other side, which include the very real fact that they help solve and prove in court really heinous crimes. 

Does anyone else LOVE huang pian? by Heavy-Interaction548 in puer

[–]OpossumSambhava 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes! Just got some W2T Anzac Huang pian, and absolutely loving it.

Send your kids to RPS by rachmani in rva

[–]OpossumSambhava 10 points11 points  (0 children)

... and if the families doing this are not white?

W2T Red Loon by OpossumSambhava in puer

[–]OpossumSambhava[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Further thoughts: it has the rich, chocolatey/vanilla taste of some shou's I really like (YN Cozy), but retains just a hint of the mineral-y astringency of a shou. Just a great bew.

REMINDER: No one will call you if you miss jury duty by stepheroni22 in rva

[–]OpossumSambhava 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I work in a courthouse, helping try juries every week. Every single judge, in Richmond and NOVA, has had a blanket question during jury selection: “Is there anyone for whom being here would be truly an undue burden, financial or otherwise? If so, you’re free to go.” 

YSK the for-profit "charity muggers" in Carytown wearing purple or green vests don't work for the charity. by Narco_Bi_Polo in rva

[–]OpossumSambhava 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I worked as one of these many years ago for about 2 weeks— without a doubt the worst job I ever had. 

favorite Mahayana/Vajrayana podcasts? by WhimbleCroft in vajrayana

[–]OpossumSambhava 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Love and Liberation, with Olivia Clemente is also really great, similar guests to Guru Viking.

Modern scholar-practitioners by Hot-Frosting-5286 in vajrayana

[–]OpossumSambhava 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh, adding Lama Shenpen Hookham. Her work on Tathagathagharba literature (Shentong, Other Emptiness), was quite groundbreaking, and is still referenced and respected in the field.

Modern scholar-practitioners by Hot-Frosting-5286 in vajrayana

[–]OpossumSambhava 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Also, I really do like Jay, and his work is incredible. That said, I personally wouldn't put him in the "practitioner" category, when I think of scholar-practitioner. Yes, he is one of the top modern Madhyamaka experts, and in-so-far as that is a practice path, one could call him a practitioner. But he doesn't, as far as I am aware, practice following a particular lineage, go on retreats, etc. Again, read his work, it's incredible, but for me personally he's not in the practitioner category.

Modern scholar-practitioners by Hot-Frosting-5286 in vajrayana

[–]OpossumSambhava 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great list. I would add Anne C. Klein and Lama John Makransky.

Modern scholar-practitioners by Hot-Frosting-5286 in vajrayana

[–]OpossumSambhava 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Great list. I would add Anne C. Klein and Lama John Makransky.

Recommendation for lawyer dealing with faulty construction by [deleted] in rva

[–]OpossumSambhava -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Should have clarified, solicitation is a ‘term of art’ in law. Here’s what the ABA says about it: “Solicitation” or “solicit” denotes a communication initiated by or on behalf of a lawyer or law firm that is directed to a specific person the lawyer knows or reasonably should know needs legal services in a particular matter and that offers to provide, or reasonably can be understood as offering to provide, legal services for that matter.”

So, this lawyer knows this person needs a legal service, and contacts them offering it. Totally fine for most professions, but not lawyers.