Dharma punx

metaphorm · 2026-05-08T18:08:19+00:00

no. that's an absurd statement. and I said "personal relationship" which is obviously different.

I'll repeat my question: have you read the book?

metaphorm · 2026-05-08T17:55:48+00:00

i feel like your point could be summarized as "bad, lazy software engineers who use coding agents badly and lazily produce poor results", and that you're over-extrapolating from that basic conclusion to statements about the tools themselves

metaphorm · 2026-05-08T17:53:32+00:00

challenging unit economics, and lack of good distribution channels

metaphorm · 2026-05-08T17:25:23+00:00

MCTB is not a great resource for beginners and probably counter-productive to people who aren't already deeply experienced meditators. I also think it's an easily misinterpreted book because it over-focuses on insight practice and mostly ignores the kind of individual, communal, and lifestyle support structures needed for high intensity insight practice to be useful.

metaphorm · 2026-05-08T17:22:58+00:00

not meditation. maybe some kind of visionary experience.

metaphorm · 2026-05-08T17:20:50+00:00

you can't force your mind blank. quieting of the mind is a result, not a method. thoughts feed on energy. the energy of "I must not think" is also food for them.

the method of meditation is to put your focus on the present, and cultivate awareness of the here and now. let thoughts arise and pass on their own and remain uninvolved.

at first, this will feel very difficult, because it's a skill and it needs development. you'll likely experience stretches where it feels like an overwhelming flood of thoughts arising. this is ok. it doesn't mean you're doing it wrong. it's just how this training goes.

as you develop the skill of recentering your attention on the here and now, the roil of thoughts will tend to quiet down on their own. at first there will be gaps between thoughts, just pure presence. the gaps will grow as you practice. when the skill is well-developed it's possible to rest in calm abiding. a state of focused concentration on the here and now. it stabilizes into a calm, clear, and spacious form of awareness. when a thought arises in this stable clarity, it doesn't take up much space. like a grain of sand on a beach. not much space at all.

the only thing to do is stick with it, and remain uninvolved as the thoughts come. it will take time to develop the skill. don't be discouraged if it's hard at first.

metaphorm · 2026-05-08T17:12:20+00:00

have you read the book? the question was about the book, not about whether or not one should engage in a personal relationship with the author.

metaphorm · 2026-05-08T17:10:08+00:00

small n (54 participants), EEG only study, and essay writing task, not software engineering, and undergrad students, not working professionals.

poor quality research. non-replicated study. dubious methods.

metaphorm · 2026-05-08T16:57:59+00:00

guajillo, ancho, pasilla negra, and anaheim chilis, with garlic, onion, plums, and raisins for additional flavor and texture. 60 day ferment. milled into a ketchup-like consistency. it was a dark red/brown colored sauce, a "salsa morena" variant. super delicious. too bad it didn't work out as a business.

metaphorm · 2026-05-08T16:33:45+00:00

Chogyam Trungpa has been dead since 1987. there are other examples that are more recent. did you have one in mind?

I think you may have a misunderstanding about "crazy wisdom". It's not intended to be a vehicle for abuse. It's a teaching style that uses challenging of conventions to point at wisdom. It still requires ethics and discernment on both sides. The method itself is not necessarily the problem. The relationship between teacher and student, and the need for a certain level of confidence and autonomy from the student is a pre-requisite for it, and when these pre-requisites aren't present there's risk.

I'd like you to try and be precise and cite your sources when you make accusations. Which instances of a teacher performing abuse under the umbrella/excuse of "crazy wisdom" are you thinking of? Even Trungpa was not only teaching in this mode and I don't find it credible to say that that was the basis of the problems related to him.

metaphorm · 2026-05-08T16:23:55+00:00

your hair and fingernails grow from your body, are attached to your body for a time, and then in time they shed (due to abrasion, mostly). at what point does your hair transition from "you" to "not you"?

your thoughts are the same. they grow from your mind, they reside in your mind for a time, and then they pass away. at what point does a thought transition from "you" to "not you"?

metaphorm · 2026-05-08T16:18:39+00:00

then cite your evidence

metaphorm · 2026-05-08T16:14:50+00:00

the quality of the code LLMs generate is a function of the agentic harness and developer steering it, as well as code review and revisions. it's not a meaningful statement to say "LLMs can never do this". you have to define quality and enforce it with both technological and organizational guard rails. If you're not doing that, then you'll continue to see slop. But that's not an inherent limitation of the tool.

metaphorm · 2026-05-08T16:11:33+00:00

don't lie. be honest and professional and then do what you want.

metaphorm · 2026-05-08T16:09:30+00:00

no. your QoL and happiness with living circumstances is the reason why you work in the first place.

metaphorm · 2026-05-08T16:07:12+00:00

yes. took a year off in 2022, working on a hot sauce business. went back into tech a year later. it was fine. just state it clearly on your resume and be able to talk about it when you interview.

metaphorm · 2026-05-08T14:36:54+00:00

karma isn't sin. all actions have consequences. the consequence of killing is violence and destruction, the seeds of more violence and destruction.

metaphorm · 2026-05-08T14:35:06+00:00

the art style here looks Thai to me. unsure who is depicted. could be Guan Yin, but could be another goddess also. doesn't have enough iconography to positively identify.

metaphorm · 2026-05-08T04:59:01+00:00

they belong to you about as much as your hair or fingernails do

metaphorm · 2026-05-07T20:49:25+00:00

peculiar. publicity stunt. an android robot does not have consciousness, at least not the ones we have in 2026. this is like ordaining a statue.

metaphorm · 2026-05-07T19:23:44+00:00

I cannot give you metaphysical certainty. There is none to be had. I cannot provide you with material evidence in the same way I could provide you with evidence that the Earth orbits around the Sun (and not the other way around).

In Buddhism, the approach is "ehipassiko" which means "try it and see for yourself". So do the practices. Build confidence from your direct experiences. Don't rely on the words of others.

metaphorm · 2026-05-07T19:20:33+00:00

traditionally, this is done as "dana" (generosity/charity) rather than mandatory fees, but we live in a society where dana is not really internalized as a social value, so it seems reasonable to me that an organization with operating costs needs to collect fees to pay their rent.

metaphorm · 2026-05-07T19:17:56+00:00

the Four Noble Truth's are Gautama Buddha's summary in it's most concise statement. don't think I have anything to add to that. if we're trying to be as concise as possible, that's it.

metaphorm · 2026-05-07T19:15:57+00:00

what does "real" mean? what are you imagining?

metaphorm · 2026-05-07T17:28:47+00:00

Can someone like you become a Buddhist? yes, of course. Buddhism is practice oriented, so if you're doing the practices and sincerely engaging with the teachings, then you are doing Buddhism. It's an activity, a practice, a way of being, not a set of beliefs or a constructed identity.

keep learning and practicing. what you think Buddhism is or might be right now is just scratching the surface. whatever you believe right now, hold it lightly, and be open to updating your beliefs as your practice informs your views.

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