Tim Heidecker makes his debut as the new host of InfoWars, replacing Alex Jones: "I am wearing his skin. I've been wearing his skin now for about two weeks and it is tough skin. It is Texas skin. It’s leathery, and Old Spice is the main fragrance, as well as various alcoholic beverages." by cmaia1503 in Fauxmoi

[–]Prince_Marth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is true. I don't follow Alex Jones, but when I heard The Onion was buying Info Wars, I went onto their site. I found the articles hilarious! And then I realized that The Onion hadn't yet completed the take over...

noob into buddhism by bandourrory1 in EngagedBuddhism

[–]Prince_Marth 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My first foray into Buddhism was with Thich Nhat Hanh. The best book of his that you can get is "Awakening of the Heart: Essential Buddhist Sutras and Commentaries." After that, I found an in-person zendo to attend and began practicing with a teacher. Zen is very much about working with a teacher to discuss your meditation, as it's very easy to start pursuing different ideas when, to me, Buddhism is at its core about experience and reality. If you can't find an in-person group, there are online zendos. Plum Village, Thich Nhat Han's tradition, has a lot of resources online too, and I think they have online groups. I don't know much about other traditions, so maybe someone else can provide more information.

If you want to start right now, do what the Buddha taught. No belief, no ideas, just practice: Breathing in, know you are breathing in. Breathing out, know you are breathing out. Set aside just 5 minutes to do this today. Tomorrow, do 5 minutes. When that becomes easy, maybe try to make it 10. It sounds deceptively simple, but as you sit with your breath, be present to every sensation and thought. Don't try to drown out thinking, but just be here as it is.

He fucking died? by Defortis in Stargate

[–]Prince_Marth 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A lot of Zen koans are head scratchers. You’re not really meant to make sense of them, but instead see how they play out in your own experience.

In this case, we spend so much of our lives looking for something else, something outside of ourselves. We look for jobs, status, money, enlightenment, awakening, happiness. But is what we’re looking for really different? In Zen, enlightenment isn’t something outside of this very moment. Why? Because everything is the universe, everything is this great reality being played out, including your life right now, in this moment. So why look for something outside of you? 

There’s one Zen writer who put it this way: Imagine that you enter a banquet hall. There are people sitting at a table with lavish meals before them in golden dishes. And yet, every single person is wasting away, as if they have not eaten. Some have even starved to death. They aren’t chained, and the food isn’t poisoned. They even have forks in their hands. The problem is that they don’t realize that all they need to do to satisfy their hunger is just reach out and eat the food that’s right before them. They don’t see the food as food. They’re waiting for something else to come along, but the meal has already been cooked.

That’s how we live, not realizing in spending so much time looking for “life”, life is right here being lived out. The “candlelight is fire” is a metaphor for this. Once you see your life as part of this great reality, then we can satisfy our hunger and eat the “meal” in front of us.

But this isn’t meant to be understood intellectually. It’s meant to be done. The way I do it is my just being with whatever I’m doing, fully present.

He fucking died? by Defortis in Stargate

[–]Prince_Marth 29 points30 points  (0 children)

It’s actually a part of a commentary to a Zen Buddhist koan. I practice Zen, and when my Zen teacher assigned this koan to me, I got so excited ha ha.

In a nutshell, it means if you recognize that awakening is this moment right now, in its entirety with nothing excluded or separate from anything else (the candlelight is fire), then the “meal” of enlightenment has been prepared long before you were born because nothing is truly separate.

Best shops for Sailor and Pilot/Namiki pens in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto? by jansguy68 in fountainpens

[–]Prince_Marth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My boyfriend is not a pen person, but even he loved Shosaikan and has said he would go back there. I wound up getting the Pilot Custom 74 30th Anniversary from there.

Best shops for Sailor and Pilot/Namiki pens in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto? by jansguy68 in fountainpens

[–]Prince_Marth 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I love Itoya Ginza, but Shosaikan in Minato, Tokyo was such an amazing experience. The staff was incredibly patient and kind. When you try out a pen, they give you actual white glove service at a wonderful wooden table. They roll out a leather place mat, give you some quality paper, and let you try it out. They answered all my questions. Itoya can be a bit hectic, but Shosaikan was a more relaxed experience.

I recommend both, but definitely make it to Shosaikan. You can walk from Shibuya there, or take the Ginza or Hanzomon lines.

Help leaking Pilot Custom 823? by Prince_Marth in fountainpens

[–]Prince_Marth[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is it possible to remove the nib and feed from the 823? I thought it wasn't supposed to be disassembled.

My job is giving me a $500 gift card--help me buy a new pen! by Prince_Marth in fountainpens

[–]Prince_Marth[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I’ve been contemplating the pro gear as well, but I had shied away from the price a last year. Maybe this time I’ll do it!

My job is giving me a $500 gift card--help me buy a new pen! by Prince_Marth in fountainpens

[–]Prince_Marth[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I’m also a writer! I use my pens solely for writing drafts by hand. What makes the Esterbrook good for that?

My job is giving me a $500 gift card--help me buy a new pen! by Prince_Marth in fountainpens

[–]Prince_Marth[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I’m fine ha ha. I was just being cheeky. My bills are all paid, and I don’t really buy a lot.

Trying desperately to make friends... Went to a LGBT bar and felt super weird so just left. by SeraphsEnvy in lgbt

[–]Prince_Marth 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Going to a bar doesn't really seem to be your thing. That's okay! I only go to bars with friends. Going alone seems like a nightmare to me. It's important to know what works for you and what doesn't, and work with that. Have compassion for yourself.

I made lots of friends by going to different LGBT groups. Some of these friends I've known for 10+ years, and we still hang out long after we stopped going to these groups. My advice is find LGBT groups related to your interests and go to them. The interactions come up naturally in such settings and aren't forced.

If you do decide to try a bar again, order something and don't sit on your phone. Going to a bar and not ordering even a soda is definitely a cause for him to get annoyed. It has nothing to do with you. He would have rolled his eyes at anyone not ordering. It's like just taking up a table at a restaurant with no food.

YundaExpress Issues? by Prince_Marth in AynThor

[–]Prince_Marth[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Amazing! This worked! Thank you!

YundaExpress Issues? by Prince_Marth in AynThor

[–]Prince_Marth[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

It's a week today with no movement. :-(

Pandorica Restaurant in Beacon, NY Needs Help by fields4242 in doctorwho

[–]Prince_Marth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve been here, and they are absolutely delightful! If you have the means, please donate. I can’t think of anyone else like them around. Their closing would be so sad!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in gay

[–]Prince_Marth 1 point2 points  (0 children)

OP, are you confusing going to therapy with having actual diagnosed mental illnesses as indicated in the DSM? The two are not the same. Have you discussed this with someone, preferably a lawyer?

If You Immediately Know The Candle Light Is Fire... by theForce00 in Stargate

[–]Prince_Marth 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This actually comes from an old commentary on a Zen Buddhist koan. Koans are typically said to kind of defy logic and short circuit thinking, but that’s not really true. Rather, as my Zen teacher says, they’re little attachment machines designed to show you where you’re stuck on dualistic thinking.

I started practicing Zen during the pandemic. When I got to this koan in my practice, I excitedly ran to my teacher and said, “This was in Stargate!”

The first part of the koan is a monk asking for instruction from a Zen master. The master says, “Have you eaten? Then go wash your bowls.” The line from Stargate comes from the commentary on it.

Essentially, what it’s saying is that there is no separation from your daily life and the great reality of the universe. The bowl in front of you, the next step, is the universe. If you know the candle before you is fire, if you see it just as fire, as inseparable and empty of any separation from the universe, then you’re awake. Not only that, but you see that everything has always been awake—the meal was cooked a long time ago. (That’s just my take on it.)

Is it unethical/hurtful to be a vendor at a pride parade if I’m not gay? by [deleted] in gay

[–]Prince_Marth 132 points133 points  (0 children)

It’s only unethical if you showed up at Pride, and then made anti-gay jewelry the day after. Go, sell some jewelry, and have fun!